The time had come to replace the unwelcoming, floor-to-ceiling, institutional, hard-to-get-through double doors and low profile gates.

Visitors to the Auburn Valley YMCA now will find more places for cozy, sit-down conversations. And an area once reserved for private offices has been opened up, creating a space where members and staff can chat privately.

It’s all part of an extensive lobby remodeling that the powers that be at the YMCA recently finished to create a brighter, more welcoming atmosphere for the 15,000 people who use the facility at 1620 Perimeter Road SW each year.

The Auburn Y used a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 18 to celebrate it.

“We just felt that our lobby wasn’t really representative of what would happen beyond the entrance,” said Jason Berry, executive director for the Auburn Valley YMCA. “We wanted our lobby to represent the great programming, staff and volunteer work that’s happening inside. We wanted to make it more open, comfortable and warm to match what we were striving to be for the community.”

The remodeling wasn’t the product of customer complaints, Barry added, just the YMCA catching the tone of the community and taking the initiative.

“Now it better reflects the experience we seek to give our members through our focus areas of youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.”

“We wanted a warm and friendly welcoming atmosphere,” said Community Outreach Specialist Amy Jahn.

Each year one or two Y branches within the YMCA of Greater Seattle are selected to receive money for beautification projects. The Auburn Y received a portion of this funding in 2012 allowing for the lobby remodel.