The People’s United Bank Vermont City Marathon & Relay will be scaled down to a half-marathon this year, organizers announced Tuesday, citing a desire to limit the number of medical professionals needed at the popular event.

Peter Delaney, executive director of RunVermont, said race organizers felt it would be insensitive to ask for volunteers from the health care professions at a time when the pandemic continues to strain hospital resources.

The compressed race will allow RunVermont to staff the event with EMTs from the Burlington Fire Department and only a handful of volunteers, Delaney said, instead of the up to 125 frontline workers who have helped in years past.

"It’s probably not the best use of their time to support a public event that is of a recreational nature," Delaney said. "Their skills and talents are probably better utilized in supporting the needs of the hospital and the medical community."

A 50,000-square-foot Greater Burlington YMCA is set to open at 298 College Street on January 1 following a years-long, $28 million project to update and modernize its popular facility, according to the Y's director of communications, Doug Bishop.

To make the Y more accessible, membership rates will drop. A single adult membership will cost $49 per month, down from the current $70. A two-adult family membership will decrease from $98 to $84 per month. One-adult families will pay $74, down from $82. A financial assistance program will provide scholarships to those who demonstrate need.

The current Y, a 1934 red-brick structure at 266 College Street, is “a rabbit warren” of rooms and stairs where few spaces serve their original purpose, said Bishop. The new facility, just 150 steps from the old Y at the former Ethan Allen Club, will use space more efficiently and purposefully. It complies fully with the Americans with Disabilities Act, equipped with an elevator, wide doors and hallways that can accommodate wheelchairs. Both the lap pool and program pool will be equipped with lift chairs. Young children can enjoy a new "splash pad."

Citing operating costs and difficulty finding qualified staff, the Edge announced that it will close its Playspace childcare service at its four health clubs in South Burlington, Williston and Essex.

The Playspace provides childcare for kids ages 6 weeks and older while caregivers exercise or run errands for up to two hours. The gym has offered the service for about 20 years, according to Edge president Mike Feitelberg, and about 20 to 30 families use it each week.

In a letter emailed to Playspace users on Wednesday, Feitelberg wrote that the locations in Williston and on Eastwood Drive in South Burlington will close at the end of February, while the South Burlington Twin Oaks and Essex locations will close at the end of March.

“This was a very difficult decision we wrestled with for a very long time,” Feitelberg said in a phone interview on Thursday.