Working out at a gym was a lifeline for Danielle Laudon Ruse after having her son.
“I suffered from severe sepsis and preeclampsia after giving birth. Going to work out was significant to my health and well-being and making me feel like I was in control of my body after what had happened,” the Santa Ynez Valley resident and Stuart C. Gildred Family YMCA board member told the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission on June 26.
Laudon Ruse and her husband now have their hands full with a 14-month-old and full-time jobs—making it challenging to find time to go to the gym—and voiced support for the Stuart C. Gildred YMCA to expand its operation to 24 hours.
“Being able to exercise on Sundays and the afternoons, these areas outside of the YMCA hours … would be pivotal in that continued journey to feel in control,” she said.
The Santa Ynez-based YMCA has served the community for about 35 years and has 4,500 members, said Jennifer Heinen-Stiffler, the chief operating officer for the Channel Islands YMCA—which oversees seven branches on the Central Coast, including the Stuart C. Gildred YMCA.
“I love the YMCA, but the YMCA is not a trendsetter. We are not usually on the forefront of what’s going on,” Heinen-Stiffler said. “As of last year, Club Industry stated that 31 percent of fitness centers are open 24 hours. This is a movement for people who don’t want to work out during the typical 9 to 5, 9 to 7 work hours.”
The YMCA currently operates from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and is closed on Sundays. Facilities include an aerobics center, a child care center, a fitness center, multi-purpose room, pool, and weight room, according to its website.
Stuart C. Gildred YMCA Executive Director Kathryn Thompson filed a request in 2023 to change its permits to allow for one exercise room and restroom to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week with limitations, according to the county staff report.
However, neighbors Frank Betts and Deanna Harwood filed an appeal during the county permitting process because they were concerned about onsite safety and security, noise and light coming into their neighborhood from 24/7 activity at the gym, and the change setting a precedent in Santa Barbara County, Betts said during the June 26 hearing.
“There is no 24-hour unsupervised fitness organization in residential Santa Barbara County. This is why it makes it precedent-setting,” he said. “If it goes to 24 hours in Santa Ynez, they’ll do the same in Lompoc, in Santa Maria.”
While there are regulations put in place to limit who can access the gym during its later hours, the Planning Commission unanimously voted to push its decision back to August in order to give the YMCA time to put additional security measures and an adaptive management plan in place should any incidents arise.
“I generally support the idea. … Some want to come in much earlier, some later in the evening, some don’t want to be around a lot of people,” said 3rd District Commissioner John Parke, whose district includes the Santa Ynez Valley. “I heard a lot of information from the appellants and others in the community who have grave concerns and if it’s not going to work.”
In the proposal, 24-hour access would only be granted to those who sign an agreement and pay an additional fee, Heinen-Stiffler said. No guests, bags or bulky items, or people under the age of 18 would be allowed into the facility with the 24-hour membership. To enhance security, only people with fobs will be able to scan into the building, security cameras will monitor the area, and panic buttons are installed in the exercise room and available at the front desk that dial 911 once someone presses the button.
Working out at a gym was a lifeline for Danielle Laudon Ruse after having her son.
“We’re here to serve the community, and we want to do it as safely as possible. We’ve taken great strides to work with our insurance company and learn from other companies doing things successfully,” she said.
The YMCA Camarillo branch has successfully managed 24-hour operations in a residential area for the past two years with no complaints from neighbors, Heinen-Stiffler said.
The Stuart C.Gildred YMCA isn’t a stranger to complaints from the appellants. County staff was contacted multiple times regarding issues related to an overnight noise event and light trespass at the YMCA facility prior to the proposal, according to the staff report.
Betts said that during the pandemic, he filed complaints about music blaring from outdoor fitness classes in the mornings and afternoons with the speakers facing “straight into our backyard.” Despite including security cameras onsite and using key cards to access the facility, Betts said he was worried about people getting attacked in the later hours.
“Cameras don’t prevent things; they only record what’s happening,” Betts said. “How do you contact somebody? Other gyms found that complaints have been made but no one was doing anything.”
Betts and Harwood did not respond to the Sun’s inquiry for comment before deadline.
Heinen-Stieffler responded by saying that the YMCA adjusted the timers on the parking lot lights following the complaints to ensure that they are not on all night, and outdoor fitness classes have since ceased.
In the case of an incident occurring, she said that the YMCA would review it and learn from it to not repeat its mistakes. Having staff on-site for 24 hours is not feasible for the nonprofit.
Fourth District Commissioner Roy Reed said that some of the appellants’ remarks about crime occuring “may be a bit of a stretch.”
“In reading through your appeal, it is almost in some respect you could almost think it’s an accumulated list of grievances rather than something that’s really pertinent to the application at hand,” Reed said. “Some of your [accusations] about staff and their operational expertise seemed to me to be a little bit personal.”
While 3rd District Commissioner Parke said he doubts an incident will occur, it’s still possible.
“We need something where if there’s an incident serious enough that it requires something to happen from Planning and Development and look over at conditions to see if we have an adequate program for supervising, so people in our community have faith that there will be a response from county government if things don’t work out,” Parke said.
While staffing may be a challenge, he said there should be an opportunity for neighbors to complain or express a problem, and get an immediate, live response.
“A number somebody could call right away and get that immediate response,” he said. “It’s a kind of supervision—not on-site staff, but a kind of supervision.”
He also wanted to see the YMCA chain off a portion of its parking lot that’s closest to the appellants’ neighborhood to further prevent any noise or light from seeping into the residential area.
“It’s a rude awakening to have the YMCA open at 5:30 and somebody shows up and starts banging their car doors and talking to someone and they’re [neighbors] not even woken up yet,” Parke said. “I want to support your project, but I only want to do it if these changes occur to your description.”
Executive Director Thompson told the Sun that the team is pleased with the outcome overall and plans to make adjustments to its plan.
“This permit is designed to ensure those with nontraditional work or school schedules can have the opportunity for health and wellness,” Thompson said. “First responders, commuters, … families who work multiple jobs, they all deserve the opportunity to continue on a health and wellness journey.”
Reach Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor at [email protected].
