Baltimore County to take over Randallstown, Dundalk swim centers as Y exits

By Victoria Mejicanos
AFRO Staff Writer
vmejicanos@afro.com

The Y in Central Maryland (Y) announced to members via email that the Randallstown and Dundalk Y swim centers will no longer be operated by the organization, with Baltimore County set to take over operations beginning August 31. 

For Randallstown residents like Particia Payne, the change is cause for concern, since it has not been made clear whether or not the pools will close at all during this transition.

“There’s a lot of speculation that there may be a shutdown period, that there’s not going to be a smooth transition once this partnership ends,” said Payne. “So the membership, as you can imagine, are very concerned about what their options are in terms of trying to work to keep the pool open so that there is no shutdown period.” 

Payne noted that many Y members who use the Randallstown swim center — across all age groups — rely on it for both health benefits and community connection.

“I have seen how therapeutic and how healing the water is,” she said. “It’s also an opportunity to meet and gather as a community.”

She added that the facility has hosted food and clothing drives, as well as swim lessons for children.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black children are at higher risk than White children for drowning. A study conducted at Ys nationwide by the USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis found that 64 percent of African-American children do not know how to swim.

Factors contributing to this disparity include institutional racism, persistent myths and stereotypes about Black swimmers and generational fears tied to drowning.

Payne also raised concerns about potential changes to pool hours, membership fees, and the status of Y employees. She added that the nearest Y operated pools are 10 to 20 miles away, which can be difficult for those who do not have reliable access to transportation. 

Derryck Fletcher, chief operating officer at the Y in Central Maryland, told the AFRO the organization is working to ensure employees at both locations have opportunities to remain with the Y, provided they are able and willing to relocate. He added that members will be able to maintain their current rates and access any YMCA Family Center within the Central Maryland Association through August 2027.

Fletcher said the partnership is ending because the facilities do not align with the Y’s full-service model.

“Our model is to offer the full breadth of Y services,” said Fletcher. “We can’t do that at either location where we are simply just operating pools. What was necessary in both locations for us to be able to do more than just operate the pool was both more space and significant capital investment in those facilities.” 

Dakarai Turner, the press secretary for Baltimore County confirmed an end to the partnership, but was not able to confirm if the pool would close at any point when asked. 

“The Y of Central Maryland has been a great partner for nearly two decades, and we appreciate the work its team has done in operating the Dundalk and Randallstown swim centers,” he wrote in a statement. “The County is actively reviewing options for the future of these facilities, with a focus on solutions that are fiscally responsible and aligned with community needs.”

Turner noted that the recreation centers themselves will remain open, as the county has always operated those facilities, while the Y managed only the pools.

Del. N. Scott Phillips said during an April 23 community meeting that the Y cited financial challenges as the reason for ending the partnership.

“The reason explained to the county, and now explained to us, is the Y was just suffering financially and they couldn’t afford to maintain the two pools that they had,” said Phillips.   

Phillips added that the pools will be operated under parks and recreation. Although Fletcher and Turner would not discuss closures, Phillips said the following in the community meeting:

“There will be a break. There will be a  period of time that the pools will be closed. We’re hoping that that period of time is very short, but they have to go [through] a process and the county does not operate any swimming pools today, so it’s going to be new.” 

Phillips asked for the community’s patience as the county continues to navigate this change. 

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