Anyone who strolls into the Ransburg YMCA early enough in the morning can count on a familiar sight: Jennifer Martin and Butch Brown will be playing table tennis.
But they’ll have to find a new venue soon, along with everyone else who uses the eastside YMCA. The Ransburg YMCA will close on March 31.
“We’re angry,” Martin, 67, said Friday after finishing her match with Brown, 82. Like most times they play, Martin won.
The YMCA of Greater Indianapolis announced the closure on Jan. 22, less than a year after the downtown Athenaeum YMCA closed. The announcement said “ongoing financial challenges” made closing the only option. IndyStar first reported the potential closure.
Ransburg’s day care will also close Feb. 27 — although maybe not permanently.
Martin and Brown said they’ll do just about anything to keep playing after Ransburg closes. Martin said she’s ready to move the furniture from her dining room to make space for a Ping-Pong table.
The Ransburg YMCA opened in 1959. The center has two indoor gyms, an indoor and outdoor pool, workout area and a food pantry.
The announcement said the YMCA will work with members to find a new center. For most members, the next closest centers are likely at the downtown Irsay Family YMCA, Avondale Meadows YMCA or Benjamin Harrison YMCA.
But some still aren’t ready to give up on Ransburg.
Last-ditch effort to save the Y
More than 350 people have joined the Save Ransburg YMCA Facebook group. Posts range from personal stories about Ransburg to information about how to contact members.
An organizing call is planned for noon Saturday, Jan. 24, on Zoom.
Shamarie Renay joined the group and shared photos from her Zumba class. Renay, 29, joined the YMCA as a teenager and played in the basketball league.
“Taking this away from everyone on the east side and giving no resource to cover it, it seems like it could create problems,” Renay told Mirror Indy. “I hope we’re prepared for the problems it will bring in the future.”
City-County Councilor Andy Nielsen, a Democrat who represents the east side, said he’s worked to establish partnerships to help Ransburg, but nothing came from those conversations.
“This is a mess,” he told Mirror Indy.
Nielsen also said he’s frustrated that even though the center’s financial problems weren’t a secret, the decision to close Ransburg felt abrupt.
“We’re not gonna give up,” he said, “but it does feel like a final decision was made.”
Money problems
Ransburg’s closure is due to funding: a problem that has existed for years but appears to have been getting worse recently.
“We explored every option but found no viable solutions for sustainability for this location,” Gregg Hiland, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, said in a statement.
Kirsten Eamon-Shine, chief brand experience officer for the YMCA, told Mirror Indy it would take an endowment of about $1 million every year to operate Ransburg for the long term.
Eamon-Shine said the organization reached out to many potential partners over the course of 18 months but couldn’t find a solution.
Craig Cordi, a member of Ransburg’s advisory board, told Mirror Indy that Lilly Endowment was one potential funding partner.
A spokesperson for Lilly Endowment said the organization won’t “comment publicly on conversations we have with organizations or others in the community.”
Day care suspended
As part of Ransburg’s closure, the announcement said the YMCA will also suspend the center’s child care program — as well as the programs at the Baxter and Benjamin Harrison locations.
The announcement cited “external funding changes” for child care. Republican Gov. Mike Braun’s administration cut funding for child care vouchers last year, which has caused many providers to close.
Eamon-Shine said it’s possible that the child care programs would come back if the voucher funding is restored.
Eamon-Shine said families have been notified and will get individual support.
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Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers housing and labor. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick and Bluesky @tyfenwick.bsky.social.
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