Fees for the YMCA and BTW
The Y:
Category Monthly Fee
(Without Tax)
Individual $49
Individual Plus Dependents $58
Two Adult Household $69
Family/Household $75
Family/Household Plus $98
Men’s Health Center available at Hamilton
Central and Middletown only
Adult Men’s Health Center $75
Adult Men’s Health Center Plus Dependents $83
Family/Household Men’s Health Center $98
Family/Household Men’s Health Center Plus $119
Activation Fee For All Categories $50
BTW Center annual rates:
Family rate for one year is $75 plus tax
Individual adult (ages 18-53 yrs): $50 + tax
Senior Adults, ages 54 and up: $40 + tax
Teen, ages 13-17: $30 + tax
Youth, ages 12 and under: $15 + tax
In 2016, the following membership changes will occur:
The youth category of membership will include ages 15 years and under, instead of 12 and under.
We will add a single adult household category, which will be $60 + tax
And the Teen category, ages 16-18 years, will be $30 + tax
One Hamilton resident is questioning why the Booker T. Washington Community Center (BTW) and the Great Miami Valley YMCA can’t come up with a single membership fee for residents who use both facilities.
Albert Barron, a senior citizen and a military veteran, approached City Council recently regarding the issue of fees and dues at the BTW and YMCA.
“I was told that I can’t use my membership for both,” he explained. “I want to know if they are under the same umbrella, then why can’t I use one membership for both? Why do I have to pay separate fees? It looks like double-dipping to me if they are funded by the same source.”
Barron was referencing the handful of organizations, including the YMCA, YWCA, the Boys and Girls Club, Fitton Center for the Arts and Supports to Encourage Low-income Families (SELF), among others, who have pitched in to keep the BTW viable and sustainable in the city.
Woody Fitton, CEO of the Great Miami Valley YMCA, explained how the two entities are aligned, but operate differently.
“The Booker T. Washington Community Center is a mission driven program of the Great Miami Valley YMCA, which is different from a membership branch of the association,” Fitton said.“We collaborate with many community partners and donors, such as the City, the Hamilton Community Foundation and the Butler County United Way to provide programming that serves the needs of the BTW Community Center members. Due to this generous support, we are able to subsidize the memberships and programming at the BTW Community Center.
“Anyone in the community can become a member of the YMCA,” said Fitton. “The YMCA does offer financial assistance to make the Y accessible to those who need us most.”
City Manager Joshua Smith and Councilman Archie Johnson also responded to Barron’s concerns.
Smith said that BTW has “a very reduced fee for that facility only,” but a membership to the YMCA costs “12 times that” because it allows you to visit any YMCA. He noted that the YMCA is sustainable through its membership fees, while the BTW is heavily supported financially by its partner organizations, including the Hamilton Community Foundation, United Way of Butler County and the city.
Johnson agreed with Smith’s assessment and said, “it’s the reality of the day,” that the BTW wouldn’t be able to keep its doors open with only membership fees being a sole funding source.
Barron said that he and other veterans and senior citizens like to feel a part of the community and use both the YMCA and BTW, and hoped to hear of some possible financial resources to allow that to be more of a possibility.
Both organization due try to help with resources Mayor Patrick Moeller said, and he volunteered to make a trip to the BTW with Barron to gain more information.
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