YMCA looks to boost value, dues

ZEPHYRHILLS -- With a membership price increase on the way for the second year in a row, east Pasco's new YMCA director Rob Wiggins said he knows there will be pressure to offer value for the family dollar.

The YMCA announced last week an 11 percent increase in family membership dues beginning in January, up from $61 a month to $68. That follows a 7 percent increase last year, when rates rose from $57 to $61 for a monthly family membership.

Other membership categories are also scheduled to rise Jan. 1. Single adult memberships go from $42 to $45 a month; and senior family rates go from $57 to $58.

East Pasco's YMCAs have about 4,000 members, nearly all registered at the Zephyrhills facility rather than the one in Dade City. Members who meet income limitations are offered reduced rates.

Wiggins said he knows the rate increase for families is a big one, and he said as new director he is determined to provide more for families.

"We're not doing a whole lot of programs outside of operating the facilities," Wiggins said. "We really need to focus on looking at the Y as a service organization and not just as a facility."

In addition to expanding hours at the Zephyrhills Y, Wiggins said his goal in 2003 will be to add social activities, beyond aerobics and weight lifting. The YMCA is supposed to be more than just a gym, he said.

The Dade City YMCA, run in a city building with a $19,000 contribution this year from the city, has not lured as many members as organizers had hoped since it opened last year, Wiggins said. That might reflect a lack of focus and development efforts for the program, he said.

"I'm not sure what the goal and the plan up there was," Wiggins said.

If the goal is to grow beyond the 2,400-square-foot Lindy Smith Civic Center, Wiggins said the YMCA has to draw enough members to support a full-service facility.

Wiggins said he plans to meet with community leaders to chart a path that could include sports programs for younger members with an emphasis on fun and friendship rather than competition and expand on the Y's summer camp.

He said he isn't sure how many members the Dade City Y will need to support itself, but it is far from there.

Wiggins, 31, joined the east Pasco YMCA in September after nine years with the organization in Denver and Indianapolis, where he helped run a 10,000-member club. The challenge, he said is to build the east Pasco YMCA. "We're not going to cut back. We're going to hopefully add things. Instead of being more timid about it, we're going to be more aggressive," Wiggins said.

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