Y ON THE MOVE. Menomonie Health & Fitness is being acquired by the YMCA of the Chippewa Valley with the transition set for April 1 this spring. (Photo via Facebook)

After a feasibility study completed in the spring of 2024 revealed an overwhelming demand for YMCA services in Menomonie, the YMCA of the Chippewa Valley announced it will be expanding into Menomonie in April.

The YMCA will be acquiring Menomonie Health & Fitness, which currently operates two locations in Menomonie, and is set to transition on April 1. According to a media release shared on Thursday, Feb. 20, Menomonie South YMCA will be the first 24/7 facility for the YMCA of the Chippewa Valley.

With the acquisition, the YMCA of the Chippewa Valley is now the largest health and wellness organization in the area, with over 20,000 members.

“The Y is answering the call to expand into a new market, and our focus is to heed the feedback we received from the feasibility stud. The results of our study showed that community residents are very interested in a long term YMCA within the Menomonie market,” Derek White, president and CEO of the YMCA of the Chippewa Valley, said in a media release. “With purchasing existing locations, we can step into this community right away and begin serving with the intention of testing what momentum for a full-service YMCA facility down the road would look like.

Menomonie Health & Fitness opened in 2019. Owner John Englund said partnering with the YMCA of the Chippewa Valley allows the fitness center’s mission – to help the community build health habits and improve wellness – to impact even more people.

Along with the YMCA’s standard array of group exercise classes and range of equipment, the new Menomonie locations will also offer chronic disease prevention programs, free “Child Watch” for young children on Family Membership plans, and more.

With the acquisition, the YMCA of the Chippewa Valley is now the largest health and wellness organization in the area, with over 20,000 members. The association will now consist of Menomonie South YMCA, Menomonie East YMCA, Eau Claire Downtown YMCA, Eau Claire South YMCA, Chippewa Falls YMCA, John & Fay Menard YMCA Tennis Center, L.E. Phillips YMCA Sports Center, and Camp Manitou.

The YMCA of the Chippewa Valley will be opening at Menomonie South (1508 9th St. E) and Menomonie East (3019 Schneider Ave. SE) this spring • For more information about the YMCA and memberships visit www.ymca-cv.org