Grand Opening: Inside the new Morris Hospital YMCA

The new Morris Hospital YMCA is officially opened, and Executive Director Jamie Heitman led a tour Thursday showing off the new workout spaces, swimming pool, activity centers and more.

The 60,000 square-foot building opened for the first time Monday, and features an eight-lane lap pool, health and wellness center, gymnasium, indoor walking track surrounding the basketball courts, group exercise studios, a cycling room, a healthy eating kitchen, youth play spaces and meeting rooms.

The main lobby is off the western entrance, which is where most people will walk in.

“In our lobby, we have places for people to hang out, and it’s meant to create a sense of community,” Heitman said.

The lobby and the hallways have sitting spaces and areas for people who aren’t there for a class or to work out, and kids can go to the Kids Corner, an area staffed with adults in both the morning and the afternoon to allow parents to get their daily workout in.

There’s also a room with computers, games, and many desks for kids to stop in and do their homework or just hang out before going to play basketball. Heitman said the room has a 3D printer and a Cricut machine, and the summer camp program will use the space for some of its older kids.

Heitman said two community rooms can be combined into one for larger events, and one has a teaching kitchen that’s already been used to teach a cookie decorating class.

“We will do partnerships with Morris Hospital,” Heitman said. “Education seminars, nutrition seminars, all of that will take place here and will be open to the community.”

Heitman said in the spring, there are plans to create raised gardens to the south outside the kitchen, so kids will be able to plant vegetables and come in and make things like salsa, or learn to cook other meals.

The second community room when separated will be used for low-impact fitness classes and things like classes for senior citizens.

Heitman said the basketball courts have already been well-used by junior high kids playing well into the evenings, and it gets used for games like pickleball and volleyball, as well.

Heading into the workout area, there are small phone lockers and larger dry lockers for people who plan on being in-and-out and don’t have the need for the locker room. The weight room is compartmentalized, with free weights, machines, treadmills and a small group area separated within one larger open area that Heitman said is a holdover from the Wauponsee Street location.

There’s also a cycling room complete with a large TV at the front of the room for both single-use and class use.

The pool will have separate times for open swimming and lap swimming, and there’s a lifeguard on duty all day. Heitman said the YMCA will also be hosting lifeguard training courses and in the fall, the Jets swim team will be coming to Morris.

The Morris Hospital YMCA is running a sale on memberships for its opening, which includes an adult rate of $52 a month, and a family rate of $83 a month.

For more information on memberships and programming, visit jolietymca.org/locations/morris-hospital-ymca.