WAUKEGAN – Lake County Family YMCA will close its two branch facilities in Waukegan and Vernon Hills Oct. 31 due to insufficient financial resources to sustain operations on a long-term basis.   

Barrie Fromme, marketing associate Lake County Family YMCA, said the decision was a difficult one for board members but a decline of memberships and donations left the organization with no choice but to close the branches' doors.

"The economy and recession [caused] a trend of declining memberships, donations and things like that," Fromme said, adding that the organization held a variety of fundraiser events in an attempt to keep the centers afloat. "When you compare the [branches' financial state] to four years ago we're still noticeably behind.