YMCA Allard Center Pool Closure
There are some exciting updates happening at the YMCA Allard Center of Goffstown this summer, and we want to share some details with you as these changes may impact your plans for visiting our branch. The safety and quality of service to our members is very important to us. We would like to inform you that the indoor lap pool, teaching pool, and women’s locker room will be undergoing major renovations over the next 12 weeks beginning August 1, 2022. As a result, the aquatic center and women’s locker room will be closed. Continue reading or jump to the following sections:
- Pool Re-Opening & Open House
- Project Updates
- Planned Renovation Projects
- Temporary Swimming Options
- Aquatic Related Questions
- Membership Related Questions
Thank you for your patience during the renovation process as we work to improve your Y facility. As with any construction project, some of the above information may change. We will keep you updated of changes as necessary with building signage, updates on our Facebook page, website alerts, and progress reports on our renovation webpage. We are excited to announce the aquatics center will be re-opening on Wednesday, October 26!
Help us celebrate the grand re-opening of the YMCA Allard Center's indoor aquatics center! Join us for our Spooky Open House on Saturday, October 29 from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm. This event is open to the community and everyone is welcome to join in on the fun! Halloween costumes are highly encouraged. FREE Activities include:
- Open Climbing
- Open Family Gymnastics
- Open Swim
- Lap Swim
- Water Exercise Class (10:30 - 11:15 am)
- Water Safety Activities
- Lifeguard Swim Tests
- Halloween Treats
- Selfie Station
- And More!
Plus, anyone that joins The Granite YMCA during the event will have their join fee waived (a $75 value)! The Allard Center of Goffstown is located at 116 Goffstown Back Road in Goffstown, NH.
Thursday, September 22: The exciting progress continues right on schedule! The indoor pool and women's locker room at the YMCA Allard Center are looking better every day as painting and tile work take shape. Meanwhile, the outdoor pool has officially broken ground and is expected to complete in the spring of 2023! The Y is home to more than 900 youth swim lessons every year making these new renovations more impactful than ever before. Show your support in helping the Y provide water safety to thousands of youth by making a gift.
Friday, August 17: Big and exciting things are happening around the YMCA Allard Center of Goffstown! We are happy to say that the indoor pool renovations are well underway and right on track. The room has been prepped, the first coats of paint are rolling on and the staging goes up this week. The improvements on the women's locker room are on schedule as well, not to mention we have the outdoor pool project breaking ground soon!
Aquatic Center Renovations
Starting the week of August 1, we will be closing the indoor lap pool and teaching pool for approximately 12 weeks. As part of this renovation process we will be:
- Refurbishing the supporting beams in the aquatic center
- Replacing and repairing gutters around the pools
- Sandblasting, resurfacing and painting the pools
- Painting the entire aquatic center
Locker Room Renovations
While this pool work is being completed, interior renovations will be underway in the women's locker room. During this time, anyone that normally uses the women's locker room will be asked to utilize the family locker rooms. We are improving your Y with the following upgrades:
- Renovated shower space including new floors, shower drains, walls, and ceiling structures
- New changing stalls and toilet partitions
- New counter tops, sinks, and faucets
We recognize this closure will impact your daily and weekly schedules. While our indoor pools are unavailable at the Goffstown location, we encourage you to visit our other locations for your lap swim, open swim, and swim lesson activities. Your membership with The Granite YMCA provides you access to Ys across the nation. We encourage you to take advantage of this benefit during this extended closure.
- The indoor pool at our Manchester facility (9 minutes from this branch) for lap swim, open swim, and water exercise classes.
- The indoor pool at our Concord facility (21 minutes from this branch) for lap swim, open swim, and water exercise classes.
- The indoor pool at our Portsmouth facility (59 minutes from this branch) for lap swim, open swim, and water exercise classes.
- Use the Nationwide Membership Program to visit a local YMCA outside of our association (such as the Nashua YMCA or Merrimack YMCA). We encourage you to contact the welcome center of Y’s outside of our association to ensure pool availability prior to your planned visit.
When will the indoor pools close?
The indoor lap pool, teaching pool, and women’s locker room will be shut down effective July 31, 2022.
How long will the pools be closed and when will the pools re-open?
Both indoor pools and the women’s locker room will be closed for approximately 12 weeks. As with any construction projects, this timeframe is an estimate and could change pending shipping delays of materials. As long as there are no major delays with the project, we anticipate reopening the pools and women’s locker room in late October.
Why is this happening?
The safety and quality of service for our members and program participants is one of our top priorities. In the past we have shut down our pools annually for approximately two weeks to conduct annual maintenance to ensure our pools continue to be safe.
This year, the scope of work required to maintain the safety of our indoor aquatic center goes beyond pool maintenance. The completion of these renovation projects will enable the YMCA Allard Center of Goffstown to continue its rich historic role of providing safe aquatic programs and services for years to come.
What type of renovations will take place during the shutdown?
There are several different projects that will take place over the course of the 12-week shutdown including:
Aquatic Center Renovations
- Refurbishing the supporting beams in the aquatic center
- Replacing and repairing gutters around the pools
- Sandblasting, resurfacing, and painting the pools
- Painting the entire aquatic center
Locker Room Renovations
- Renovated shower space including new floors, shower drains, walls, and ceiling structures
- New changing stalls and toilet partitions
- New counter tops, sinks, and faucets
Where can I swim since the Allard Center indoor pools are closed?
As a member of the YMCA Allard Center of Goffstown, you are a member of The Granite YMCA association which provides you access to all six facility branches. You can continue your aquatic activities locally at:
- The indoor pool at our Manchester facility (9 minutes from this branch) for lap swim, open swim, and water exercise classes.
- The indoor pool at our Concord facility (21 minutes from this branch) for lap swim, open swim, and water exercise classes.
- The indoor pool at our Portsmouth facility (59 minutes from this branch) for lap swim, open swim, and water exercise classes.
- Use the Nationwide Membership Program to visit a local YMCA outside of our association (such as the Nashua YMCA or Merrimack YMCA). We encourage you to contact the welcome center of Y’s outside of our association to ensure pool availability prior to your planned visit.
I only use the teaching pool. Are there any other warm water pools in the area?
Unfortunately, there are no other warm water pools that we are aware of in the state of New Hampshire.
What will you be offering for swimming lessons this summer?
The YMCA Allard Center of Goffstown will be offering a 6-week swim lesson session beginning June 20th and concluding on July 30.
The YMCA Allard Center of Goffstown will not be offering a Fall I Session for swim lessons, but we will be supporting the Manchester and Concord branches with swim instructors to increase offerings at these locations to support our members and the community.
The Tiger Sharks swim team will practice as normally scheduled for the summer months. There will be outdoor pool practice options the week of August 1 and they will compete in the summer championship meet the weekend of August 5 - 7.
Fall conditioning for the Tiger Sharks will run out of our Manchester and Concord branches on a modified schedule. More information regarding the Tiger Sharks preseason program will be available mid-July. Tiger Sharks winter season begins when the project is complete.
What does this shutdown mean for members?
Members and program participants will not have access to the indoor aquatic center for approximately 12 weeks effective August 1, 2022. This includes the lap pool, teaching pool, and women’s locker room.
I only use the Y for the pool, what do I do with my membership if I can’t access the pool?
As a member of the YMCA Allard Center of Goffstown, you are a member of The Granite YMCA association which provides you access to all six facility branches. You can continue your aquatic activities locally at:
- The indoor pool at our Manchester facility (9 minutes from this branch) for lap swim, open swim, and water exercise classes.
- The indoor pool at our Concord facility (21 minutes from this branch) for lap swim, open swim, and water exercise classes.
- The indoor pool at our Portsmouth facility (59 minutes from this branch) for lap swim, open swim, and water exercise classes.
What are my options to cancel or put my membership on hold?
If you would like to take a brief time away from the Y, your membership can be “frozen” without dues for a small fee of $10 per month. Requests for membership holds must be made to the Y in writing 30 days prior to the scheduled deduction. Monthly payments will restart automatically after three months. Please note, you will still have access to our Virtual Y live and on demand catalogs while your membership is on hold.
If you would like to cancel your membership, you can stop by the welcome center or email membership@graniteymca.org. Cancellation requests must be submitted in writing 30 days prior to the scheduled deduction.
If I cancel my membership will I have to pay a joining fee when I return?
Should you choose to cancel your membership we invite you to join us again upon the re-opening of our newly renovated aquatic center. You will not be required to pay a join fee. Our membership staff will maintain communication and you can expect a personal invitation to join us for the grand re-opening in late October.
Your current policy only allows me to put my membership on hold for 3 months. Is this policy flexible?
Recognizing that this three-month shutdown could have a drastic impact on your regular schedule, we can absolutely be flexible with this policy and extend membership holds for an additional month.
I do not want to pay my full membership rate because the pool will be closed.
We understand that this closure will likely impact your plans for visiting our branch. While the pools at our Goffstown location are not available you are able to use the indoor pools in Manchester (9 minutes away) and Concord (21 minutes away). Both of these locations have lap swim, open swim, swim lessons, and aquatic group exercise classes.
If you are not interested in travelling to a different branch and you are not planning to take advantage of our other branch amenities you can put your membership on a three-month hold for a small fee of $10 per month.
