YMCA Begins Building
SPENCER
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new 22,000-square-foot Owen County Family YMCA facility was held Saturday at 10 a.m. on St Hwy 46 next to Wal-Mart.
Construction of the building will be the culmination of several years of hard work by community members and volunteers, said executive director Jenny Burgess.
"We're very excited," she said. "We also have an excellent board of directors who have all worked very hard to see their project come to life."
Board president Kathy Wisely said the dream started back in 1994, when a group began fund raising in order to build a place for the community's kids to gather.
"It just shows that if you believe in it, you can do it," she said. "And I'm personally excited. It's like my baby, and I can't wait to get that shovel in the ground."
The organization is still fund raising for the $2.7 million building, having taken in about $935,000 in community donations to date.
Funds also include a $1 million grant from the Lilly Foundation, a $400,000 donation from a private individual and the donation of the 14.1-acre piece of property the building will sit on.
Burgess said she's hoping that once community members see the building going up, the final dollars won't be too hard to raise.
"One of the big reasons we're not already there is 9-11," she said. "We kicked off the biggest portion of our fund raising on Sept. 11 and that really hurt us. We're hoping the building will help get people more excited."
The facility will have a community meeting room, a kitchen, child-care room, teen recreation room, gymnasium with suspended track, fitness area with exercise equipment, sauna, locker room, group exercise studio and a six-lane heated swimming pool.
The L-shaped pool will also have a recreation segment, which will keep classes out of the way of lap swimmers, Burgess said.
Weddle Brothers Construction will oversee construction of the building, which is expected to be open for the Tone and Tightens and anyone else by October. The building was designed by MSKTD & Associates Inc. of Indianapolis.
For now, the organization has been leasing the Owen Valley Sports Complex and is offering programs at that location.