GLOVERSVILLE - Citing insurmountable financial difficulties, officials at the Jewish Community Center have announced the 75-year-old institution will close for good at the end of August.
JCC Board President Valerie Bochenek said this morning the facility has been struggling financially for some time and no longer can afford to stay open. The center will close after the JCC summer camp program concludes.
Membership has dwindled over the years, Bochenek said, and dues paid by the remaining members are not enough to keep the center open. The center's approximately five year-round employees and five or six summer employees have been informed of the closure, she said.
The large, old building on East Fulton Street is expensive to heat and maintain, Bochenek said. The cost of keeping it functional proved too much, she said.
The JCC board plans to try to sell the building, Bochenek said. She said employees have done an excellent job maintaining and caring for the building, which includes exercise facilities, performance spaces and an indoor pool. She said she's hopeful potential buyers will be enticed by the good quality of the building and its amenities.
Bochenek has been a member since childhood, she said, when her mother directed plays at the center.
"It's very painful," she said of the closure. "It's a huge loss for the board, the membership and the city."
Many children who attended the summer camp have attended for several years. Some moved on to become counselors, Bochenek said.
"We have kids who have been coming for a very long time. They look forward to ... coming back every year," she said. "I think there will be a lot of disappointed families."
Second Ward Councilman John Castiglione said this morning he's sad to hear another downtown institution is closing. He called the closure "another sad chapter in the city of Gloversville."
"It's been there for years and years," he said. "It used to be a very active organization. I feel bad about it."
Mayor Dayton King agreed. He said he's unhappy the facility is closing and said he hopes it doesn't become "another abandoned building" in the downtown area. He said he plans to work hard to help find a potential occupant for the space.
King said he hopes to talk to officials at Lexington Center to see if they might be interested in using the space as a satellite office.
Fulton County Regional Chamber of Commerce & Industry President Wally Hart said he had been speaking with JCC officials in an attempt to keep the facility open. He said he's "sorry to hear" the center is closing, but is hopeful the building's good condition will entice potential buyers.
"To their credit, they have kept the facility in really good condition," he said. "I'm sad to hear it's happening, but hopefully, we can find another organization that can put a great facility to use."
Kayleigh Karutis can be reached at gloversville@leaderherald.com.
