After more than seven years without a fully operating YMCA, Greater Hazleton is getting one of its longtime community gathering places back.
Local officials, community organizations, donors and residents gathered Wednesday for a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Hazleton YMCA, now known as the Mericle Family Center YMCA.
The celebration marked the latest stage of the facility’s return. The YMCA closed in June 2019 because of financial difficulties, leaving the city without a community center that generations of residents had used for swimming, exercise, child care and youth activities. The building is now operated as a branch of the Greater Wyoming Valley Area YMCA.
Lissette Dishmey, executive branch director of the Hazleton YMCA, said the ribbon-cutting represented both a celebration and the beginning of the organization’s transition into full operations on Monday, Aug. 3.
“It’s highly exciting,” Dishmey said, describing the milestone and the years of preparation that brought the project to this point.
The YMCA’s reopening has taken place in stages.
The first phase brought the Pasco L. Schiavo Early Learning Center to the building, providing affordable child care and early education services for families with young children.
The latest phase restores several of the YMCA’s best-known amenities, including its aquatic facilities, wellness center and basketball court. Expanded multipurpose classrooms will also allow the organization to offer additional educational, recreational and developmental programs for children.
Dishmey said reopening those spaces will allow the YMCA to serve a broader portion of the community, from young children and teenagers to adults, families and older residents.
Creating opportunities for Hazleton’s youth
Dishmey said one of the YMCA’s most important priorities is responding to Hazleton’s large population of children and young adults.
The organization wants to provide young people with constructive activities, safe spaces and opportunities to develop socially and physically. Dishmey said the goal extends beyond recreation: YMCA leaders want to help young people develop into positive contributors to their neighborhoods and the larger Hazleton community.
When Dishmey was appointed to lead the Hazleton branch in 2024, she said the YMCA intended to provide safe, quality programming for residents “from birth to adulthood.” She also expressed confidence that by “working hard together for a greater Hazleton, great things are soon to come.”
Dishmey, who is originally from the Dominican Republic, previously worked in social services and community programming in Luzerne County. Her background includes work at the Hazleton welfare office and with Wilkes University’s SHINE and Global Engagement programs. She has also led Spanish-language workplace instruction intended to support inclusion efforts at area businesses.
Her leadership gives the restored YMCA a connection to Hazleton’s growing immigrant and Latino communities as the organization works to ensure that its programs are accessible to residents from different cultural and economic backgrounds.
Community leaders mark the occasion
The ceremony brought together YMCA leaders and representatives from local, state and federal government.
The official program included remarks from Megan Kennedy, vice president of the Greater Wyoming Valley Area YMCA Board of Directors and chair of the Hazleton YMCA Advisory Board; Jeremy Popiel, president and CEO of the Greater Wyoming Valley Area YMCA; and retired CEO Jim Thomas.
Hazleton Mayor Jeff Cusat, state Rep. Dane Watro, state Sen. Dave Argall, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development Deputy Secretary Rick Vilello and U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan were also included in the ceremony. Rob Mericle Jr. offered the donor perspective, while Greater Wyoming Valley Area YMCA Board Chair Cheryl Connolly delivered closing remarks before the ribbon-cutting and tours.
Thomas was among the leaders who advocated restoring the facility after its closure. When the reopening project was announced, he emphasized the importance of bringing the pools back, particularly because swimming instruction and water-safety education can help protect children and save lives.
A community-backed restoration
The reopening follows a multimillion-dollar effort to purchase, renovate and restore the building at 75 S. Church St.
Rob and Kim Mericle contributed more than $5 million in capital and program funding toward the purchase and restoration of the property. The building was renamed the Mericle Family Center YMCA in recognition of their support.
Previous reporting placed the overall modernization project at more than $12 million. Public funding included support through Pennsylvania’s Neighborhood Assistance Program and Local Share Account grants generated through casino gaming revenue.
The early learning center was ceremonially unveiled in January 2025 before beginning child care operations. Wednesday’s ceremony represents a much broader reopening, returning wellness, athletic and community programming to the facility.
Another phase still ahead
Even as the YMCA begins full operations, Dishmey said the long-term vision for the property is not complete.
A future phase calls for the development of an outdoor multisport complex on the former Comet property. Dishmey said that portion of the project could move forward within approximately one to two years, depending on fundraising and community support.
She emphasized that donations and continued partnerships will be essential to completing the outdoor complex and expanding the number of programs available in Hazleton.
For YMCA leaders, Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting was therefore both a finish line and a starting point: the culmination of years of fundraising and construction, but also the beginning of a renewed commitment to serving the community.
Community open house planned
Residents will have an opportunity to tour the facility during a community open house on Saturday, Aug. 1, and Sunday, Aug. 2, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Visitors will be able to explore the renovated spaces, learn about available programs, receive membership information and speak with YMCA staff.
Dishmey encouraged residents to visit, become involved and continue supporting the project.
After years of uncertainty, the sounds of children’s programs, basketball games, swimming lessons and fitness activities will once again fill the building.
For Greater Hazleton, the reopening represents more than the restoration of a recreation center. It restores a place where children can learn, families can connect and residents from across the community can come together.
The Hazleton YMCA begins full operations Monday, Aug. 3.
