There may be plans to close the Washington Avenue YMCA at the end of the month, but Y supporters aren't giving up without a fight. Our Solomon Syed joined us from outside the facility where a number of people rallied Tuesday.

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"When I got out of the Army in '76, I used to pump iron here, I trained here for a lot of years," Albany County Legislator Brian Scavo recalls. "And I'm still a member of the YMCA."

But as of March 31st, Scavo and other members won't be able to come here anymore.

"I think it's a disaster for downtown Albany. We need it." says Scavo.

So he joined about 200 folks in protest of the Capital District YMCA's plan to shut it down later this month. The date was made public in a letter to members over the weekend, but it's been in the works since December. It's a decision they say they had no choice but to make.

"There was a lot of painful decision-making that went into this. It wasn't something that was made over night," says Capital District YMCA director of communications Rob Totaro. "This facility, we've been talking about it for years."

That's because it has its lowest membership totals in its six decade history, which contributes to over $400,000 in annual debt.

"How do we increase membership and make it so that we can keep this facility open?" Totaro asked. "Unfortunately, at the end of the day, that just wasn't possible."

But the YMCA's Community Task force says there's no need to feel down. Thanks to 700 new memberships since January 1st, they claim the Washington Ave. "Y" has already picked itself off the ground.

"And I continue to challenge them on: Have you ever signed up 600-plus members in a month at the YMCA," said Community Task force organizer Corey Ellis.

But it's a challenge they ultimately didn't win and now the community fears what it will lose because of it.

"We have no idea. We have no idea. But it can't be good," says Washington Square Neighborhood Association President Alison Coleman.

In addition to the massive annual debt, the Capital District YMCA says the Washington Ave. location has operated in the black only twice in the last 20 years. So for now, they're moving ahead with their plan to shut it down later this month.