The Pocono Family YMCA plans to stay open for the whole rebuild. Still, the building you walk into on Main Street will change shape several times before the end of 2027. No date has been announced for the pool to close. Each phase starts when the one before it is done, so the most useful thing for a member to know is the order of the work. Right now, the step to watch is the renovation of the childcare house next door.
As of the YMCA's September 18 update, the fitness center was open, the pool was open, and childcare was running inside the main building. That's the starting point. Everything below explains what has to happen before each of those changes.
Forty years of talk, then two loans closing on the same day
People have talked about modernizing this YMCA for more than 40 years, according to a release reported by WFMZ. The project costs about $21 million. It needed a USDA loan and a bridge loan through the Reinvestment Fund to close at the same time. That meant lining up attorneys, lenders, USDA officials, architects, and the title company before any work could begin. Before construction, the Brodhead Watershed Authority finished the required utility work on the site. Vericon Construction is the construction manager.
The paperwork came through in July. In its July 17 update, the YMCA announced that it had all required permits and a Notice to Proceed. It said construction would take about 18 months, with "substantial completion" expected by the end of 2027. Local TV gave slightly different numbers. WNEP reported a December 2027 target, and Fox56 said the work would take about 16 months. The YMCA's own estimate is the one to plan around: late 2027.
The first visible change came on September 3, when the Dunkin' at 823 Main St. was torn down. The start was pushed from 7 a.m. to just before noon while the crew waited for equipment. The formal groundbreaking followed on Monday, September 14, and the YMCA says more than 115 people attended.
The order of the work
The YMCA's July roadmap lays out the sequence. Each step depends on the one before it finishing.
- Childcare house, Dunkin' site, and utilities. The childcare center in the house next to the main building is renovated first. During this phase the Dunkin' building comes down and crews do site and utility work across the campus.
- The second floor becomes the gym. Once childcare reopens, work starts on the existing second floor of the YMCA, which will become the permanent fitness center. Meanwhile, members use only the existing second-floor space. The YMCA says this temporary fitness center will be smaller than the current one.
- The current gym and pool are demolished. Once the fitness center has moved upstairs, the current fitness center and pool are torn down. That space becomes the new locker rooms, aquatic center, elevator, expanded fitness center, lobby, and the Jefferson Health center.
- The addition connects upstairs. The new addition is joined to the existing second floor, which gives the YMCA its full, permanent fitness center.
Step one was still underway in mid-September. The September 18 update listed electrical work in the Learning & Caring Center as done, with demolition inside that building planned for the following week. The July notice said childcare had moved out temporarily while the renovation is done. By the September 18 update, it was listed as open in the main building.
What this means for the pool
If you swim there, step three is the one that affects you. The current pool is torn down only after childcare is back in its renovated house and the gym has moved upstairs. The YMCA hasn't given a calendar date for either of those steps. Its aquatics and swim team pages don't describe a temporary plan for swim lessons, lap swim, the Piranhas team, or water aerobics, and they don't name a partner pool for the closure. The aquatics page does list Strouds Regional Park Pool and Dansbury Park, but only as the usual sites for summer outdoor lessons. It doesn't present them as stand-ins during construction.
What the YMCA has promised is broader. Its plan is to stay open and run "at the highest capacity possible," with occasional changes to entrances, parking, program locations, schedules, and traffic flow. The best early sign that the pool is about to close is an update saying the renovated childcare center has reopened.
The new pool is a clear upgrade. In a June interview with 28/22 News, President and CEO Scott Peckins described a six-lane, 25-yard pool. At the groundbreaking, WNEP recorded him listing what members will get:
"a new pool," "a brand new lobby area," LVHN, and "a brand new fitness area on the second floor."
Getting there in the meantime
The parking changes began before the Dunkin' came down. Starting July 29, the YMCA member lot and the former Dunkin' lot closed for the rest of the project. Here is how getting to the building works now:
- Member parking: The Ann Street lot, about a block away, is the one to the left of the Ribbon Factory. The light pole is marked for YMCA parking, and the September updates ask members to park only in the designated row.
- Walking in: The sidewalk on the YMCA side of Williams Street is closed. Walk on the opposite side and cross at the crosswalks.
- Entrance: Use the main entrance.
- Drive-through lane: Enter from Williams Street and exit onto Main Street. The speed limit is 5 mph, and the lane is for drop-offs only. Pull to the left side along the building for childcare drop-off, and don't park there.
The YMCA says the drop-off lane is also for members with mobility concerns and for program participants who need to get close to the door. It suggests leaving a few extra minutes for classes, swim lessons, and childcare now that parking is a short walk away.
What end of 2027 delivers
The finished building is designed differently, not just made bigger. According to WFMZ's groundbreaking coverage, Jefferson Health Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono will have a family-practice office on the first floor and rehabilitation and physical therapy space on the second. WNEP reported that Valley Health Partners will bring primary care to the building. The YMCA says the universal locker rooms are meant to give more privacy and easier access to families and to people with special needs. Peckins told WFMZ that members who need a private locker room "you'll be able to do that."
The current scope differs from older plans, and some earlier details no longer apply. A WFMZ report on an earlier version described a $16.4 million plan. Earlier materials also mentioned more parking and community spaces, which don't appear in the current phase descriptions. Don't expect the Ann Street walk to go away just because the old lot reopens. Nothing in the current plan says there will be more permanent parking.
Fundraising is still going. The YMCA offers naming recognition, inscribed bricks, and add-ons to membership dues. Its homepage notes a $250,000 gift from the Weiler Family Foundation and a contribution from ESSA Bank & Trust.
The other building getting work on Main Street
A few blocks away, the Sherman Theater is getting less visible repairs, paid for with the same kind of state money. On September 15, State Rep. Tarah Probst announced a $200,000 grant for the theater through the Commonwealth Financing Authority's Local Share Account Statewide program. The money will go toward structural issues, the heating and cooling system, the roof, utilities, and asbestos, plus a natural gas generator to keep the theater running safely during power outages. The release says the Sherman hosts more than 240 events a year. The Local Share Account program is funded by gaming revenue. The YMCA has used the same program before. A 2022 announcement listed $537,399 in Local Share Account money for an earlier version of its plan.
The theater's calendar keeps going while the work is planned. On Saturday, October 31, the Downtown Stroudsburg Business Association's Spooky Stroudsburg runs from 1 to 6 p.m. That same evening, the 18+ Pink Room: Halloween Edition opens doors at 5:30 p.m. at Sherman Showcase. Downtown will be busy that day. The YMCA's Ann Street row and the Williams Street detour will still be in place.
The YMCA posts weekly updates on its facility-updates page. Member Services can answer questions at 570-421-2525.
If you own a home within walking distance of Main Street and are wondering how two years of construction might affect timing for a sale or a move, I'm glad to talk it through. I live and work here and keep up with these projects. Suzanne Kasperski offers a free consultation, so call whenever it's useful.
