MUSCATINE, Iowa — A small corner room illustrates the need for more space at the Muscatine Community Y.

Twelve bikes are packed into the former golf room and those bikes are full of riders pumping away for 18 cycling classes per week. The room is 15-feet by 24-feet and though the atmosphere is congested, the bicyclists are usually smiling.

“It’s not a fad, it’s a great workout,” said Bret Olson, 37, who took over as director at the Y in October 2008.

“It’s always full,” he said. “We’ve added classes and need a bigger room with more bikes.”

In the cycling room and elsewhere in the building, the Y is bursting at the seams during peak hours, Olson said.

There’s not enough room for programs and people, “but this is not a good year to ask for money,” said Olson, referring to the country’s economic downturn as well as the high unemployment rate locally.

Olson said the membership drive held in January was the most successful in five years.

In 2008, Y membership peaked at 10,000 but this year is down 10 percent, which is the industry trend, said Olson.

The current Y at 1823 Logan St. opened in 1991, replacing its smaller predecessor at 312 Iowa Ave. (now home to the Muscatine Center for Social Action.)

In 1991, membership was about 3,000, but since then users have overtaken nearly every inch of the 80,000-square-foot center. Olson said the Y needs an additional 40,000 square feet but the organization did not want to borrow the money.

The addition would  cost an estimated $6 million-$8 million and would need to be funded through private and public donations. Local businesses would likely be the primary

source of funding, Olson said, and stressed that when businesses do well, the Y does well.

After school and evening hours are the busiest, Olson said, and the lunch hour and early morning hours are often peak times as well. Sometimes when he leaves at night, all 16 of the elliptical trainers are full, the treadmills are rolling, the weight room is packed and the gymnasium is overstocked with kids and adults who want to play different games in the limited space.

Olson said the positive, family atmosphere of the Y creates a place for members to relieve stress and a place to go where they don’t have to worry — whether times are good or bad.

In the future

Growth would include expanding the back of the building where the outdoor basketball courts are located.

All of the weight room equipment and treadmills would be moved to a new room in that space and the indoor running track would be converted into a flat track.

“The way the track curves is not user friendly. It’s too short. Especially for those who run a long distance,” Olson said.

The weight room area would likely be filled with a rubberized surface and turned into a kids zone, allowing space for multiple activities.

Plans include a new locker room for families with young children. Farther into the future there may be a zero-depth pool that would be more family-friendly than the current deep pools with stairway entry.

More space would mean more accommodations for classes and an additional gymnasium.

Though the future expansion of the Y is little more than plans on paper tucked away in Olson’s office, the Y’s director knows one thing. “It will take a lot of fundraising and work on our part.”

Editor’s note: This story is one in a month-long series the Muscatine Journal is printing in March. The stories focus on local people, groups and businesses that have overcome economic obstacles and other personal adversity to help make the community better and create better lives for themselves and those around them.

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