March 28th, 2023
The YMCA in Oroville has proudly served the community for over 100 years. In recent years, we have been very fortunate to partner with the City of Oroville in the use of the Convention Center, where we offer a breadth of programs to meet the community's needs.
For many of the last 50 years, the Oroville YMCA has struggled financially. Thirteen years ago, the Oroville YMCA merged with 2 other YMCA branches to form the YMCA of Superior California. With this merger, the Oroville facility continued to end each year with a loss that was covered annually by the YMCA of Superior California. This is no longer a viable option.
In the face of these financial realities, we have reached the difficult decision to close our pool on Robinson Street permanently. The cost of operating the pool has significantly burdened the finances of the YMCA, and it is in need of repairs the Y simply cannot afford. Many options were considered, including reaching out to others for financial support or partnership, but were not successful.
We understand that the pool was very important to some members, and that for those, this will be a loss. We appreciate the relationship we have created with you, and your support has been extremely important to us. Although we cannot resume providing an aquatics program at this time, we hope that our programs and classes can still be beneficial to the community. This decision was not made lightly, but with the intent of being able to continue the long tradition of serving this community in the fullest way we can.
The YMCA is doing all we can to remain a strong and valuable resource to the Oroville community. We will carry on our efforts with the City to bring YMCA aquatics back to Oroville. The YMCA currently offers fitness, youth sports, classes, pickleball, basketball, childcare and other community services at our Convention Center location. This will be our sole location moving forward. You will find some FAQ's along with this letter to better answer more specific questions you may have.
We hope you will stay active in the YMCA and participate in the many programs and classes we offer. We thank you for being a member of the YMCA and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Thank you,
Sharna Braucks
President & CEO
YMCA of Superior California