City of Minnetonka one of several possible buyers of the YMCA's Marsh wellness center

The city of Minnetonka is among the parties exploring purchase of the Marsh, the longtime wellness center that the YMCA of the North is closing next week.

When Y officials announced in October they would close the Marsh on Dec. 31, they said the Minnetonka center wasn't financially viable following the significant loss of members during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since this fall, the Minnetonka City Council has met twice in closed-door sessions to develop an offer to purchase the property. City leaders declined this week to release any details, citing ongoing negotiations.

The Y has received 16 proposals to purchase the building and hopes to make a decision in the next few months, spokeswoman Joan Schimml said in a statement.

"The Y is thoroughly reviewing each proposal and determining the best fit to maintain the integrity of the facility and property and serve the community," she said.

The center, which opened nearly four decades ago alongside marshland off Minnetonka Boulevard just west of Interstate 494, was developed by Deephaven philanthropist Ruth Stricker and her husband, Bruce Dayton, the late retail executive who built Target Corp. and father of former Gov. Mark Dayton.

Before it was trendy to pair physical fitness with mental and spiritual health, Stricker — a former YWCA instructor — championed the approach. She and Dayton called the Marsh "a Center for balance and fitness" and blended Eastern and Western practices, from tai chi to treadmills. The center today includes a restaurant, therapeutic pool, spa, physical therapy and a fitness center.

Stricker's family donated the Marsh to the Y after she died in 2020. Y officials said most of the Marsh's operations will move to the Ridgedale YMCA and that proceeds from the sale will be invested in well-being initiatives to honor Stricker's legacy.

Christopher Warden, who owns Merz Physical Therapy, which has been at the Marsh for nearly 30 years, helped organize a town hall last month to rally support to save the Marsh. More than 200 people attended.

"There was an incredible amount of enthusiasm," he said.

Warden is involved in one of the 16 purchase proposals, teaming up with real estate developer Chuck Leer to pitch a public-private partnership with the city and maintain the Marsh's current programs and amenities.

"It's a very important part of the Minnetonka community," said Leer, a longtime member of the Marsh who worked with Stricker on a previous project there. "I feel very strongly about Ruth's vision for the the Marsh. Her vision is needed now more than ever."

Membership has fallen to half of what it was in 2019, and the decline is largely pandemic-related, Warden said. He hopes the new owner will look for ways to revitalize the center to draw more revenue and ensure it's inclusive and not a "country club" for wealthy residents, he said.

"It's not necessarily meant to be a health club alone," he said. "Think of it as more of a mecca for health and healing. It's what it potentially could be if it's preserved."

Linda Stewart's family farm provided produce for the Marsh's restaurant years ago. The longtime Minnetonka resident, who attends physical therapy there after hip surgery, said the marshland along Minnehaha Creek offers a one-of-a-kind therapeutic setting.

"That site lends itself to people finding health and peace," she said. "It's different than anywhere else I've ever been."

Mary Pepin first sought out the Marsh's therapeutic pool 34 years ago after a car accident in her 30s. She's been a member ever since and said the staff members who have carried on Stricker's legacy, the center's health and wellness purpose, and its natural setting all make the facility unique.

"It's hard to duplicate. It's more like going to a retreat," Pepin said. "It's provided a lot of benefits to the community. It's a travesty if this facility closes."