'Y' Near Goal In Fund Drive
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
They're in the final stretch, and with a little luck, their goal will be reached before construction begins next month.
The Kosciusko Community YMCA's capital campaign to finance a youth gymnasium, a fitness center and a warm water training pool is only $125,000 short, said Don Enterline, YMCA director.
The total amount the facility's board needs to raise is $200,000, but $75,000 has been pledged by the Dekko Foundation, Enterline said. However, the $75,000 is a challenge grant, meaning the community must come up with $125,000 before Dekko will contribute the $75,000.
The total cost of the project is more than $1.5 million, with all but $200,000 already raised, Enterline said. Construction is slated to begin May 1, and the goal is to open the new facilities by May 1998.
The YMCA's expansion plans are the result of a rapidly growing membership. In 1990, the Y had 2,100 members; by 1996 the membership had more than doubled to 4,300.
"We're at a point where we just can't take any more growth," said Joe Thallemer, president of the YMCA board. "Had we waited a year, we might have had a real problem."
Plans for the expansion include a youth gymnasium for gymnastics, after-school basketball and youth sports; a fitness center for adults and older youth; a warm water training pool for physical rehabilitation, arthritics and parents with young children; a renovated storage area; health and fitness equipment; and expanded parking facilities.
Responses to the capital campaign have so far met expectations, Enterline said. "It's leaders that care about the community that get things going."
The Y's popularity can be credited in large part to its family atmosphere, Thallemer said. "I think there's just such a cross-section of the community, a diverse group that uses the Y," he said.
That diversity, however, could also give the YMCA board and staff its biggest challenge - meeting the needs of all the groups who use the facility.
"The greatest challenge will be to give everyone the space they want. Programming the new facility will be a challenge," Thallemer said.
Enterline said he hopes to keep the building open as much as possible during construction, closing only if necessary for safety purposes.
"There may be some inconvenience, but we're going to work really hard to keep it open," he said. [[In-content Ad]]
They're in the final stretch, and with a little luck, their goal will be reached before construction begins next month.
The Kosciusko Community YMCA's capital campaign to finance a youth gymnasium, a fitness center and a warm water training pool is only $125,000 short, said Don Enterline, YMCA director.
The total amount the facility's board needs to raise is $200,000, but $75,000 has been pledged by the Dekko Foundation, Enterline said. However, the $75,000 is a challenge grant, meaning the community must come up with $125,000 before Dekko will contribute the $75,000.
The total cost of the project is more than $1.5 million, with all but $200,000 already raised, Enterline said. Construction is slated to begin May 1, and the goal is to open the new facilities by May 1998.
The YMCA's expansion plans are the result of a rapidly growing membership. In 1990, the Y had 2,100 members; by 1996 the membership had more than doubled to 4,300.
"We're at a point where we just can't take any more growth," said Joe Thallemer, president of the YMCA board. "Had we waited a year, we might have had a real problem."
Plans for the expansion include a youth gymnasium for gymnastics, after-school basketball and youth sports; a fitness center for adults and older youth; a warm water training pool for physical rehabilitation, arthritics and parents with young children; a renovated storage area; health and fitness equipment; and expanded parking facilities.
Responses to the capital campaign have so far met expectations, Enterline said. "It's leaders that care about the community that get things going."
The Y's popularity can be credited in large part to its family atmosphere, Thallemer said. "I think there's just such a cross-section of the community, a diverse group that uses the Y," he said.
That diversity, however, could also give the YMCA board and staff its biggest challenge - meeting the needs of all the groups who use the facility.
"The greatest challenge will be to give everyone the space they want. Programming the new facility will be a challenge," Thallemer said.
Enterline said he hopes to keep the building open as much as possible during construction, closing only if necessary for safety purposes.
"There may be some inconvenience, but we're going to work really hard to keep it open," he said. [[In-content Ad]]