YMCA Cape Cod to Break Ground on $8.5 Million Expansion Effort
West Barnstable, MA – YMCA Cape Cod will hold an official groundbreaking ceremony and reception on Friday, April 11th at 1:30 pm to celebrate the start of construction on the $8.5 million renovation and expansion project to the current facility in West Barnstable. The groundbreaking event will represent a major milestone in the campaign which to date has raised $7.3 million in gifts, pledges and financing. The funds raised through this campaign will allow YMCA Cape Cod to expand and modernize the existing West Barnstable facility, which has long outgrown its current space.Joanie Sutherland, CEO of the YMCA Cape Cod noted that this ‘project of community benefit’ will have an enormous impact on the health and social needs of the Cape community. “Through the outstanding efforts of the Y Board and Campaign leadership, we have finally raised the necessary funds for the ceremonial groundbreaking for this long-awaited and much-needed renovation and expansion of our YMCA West Barnstable facility. By nearly doubling the building square footage, the YMCA will be better positioned to serve our current constituents and thousands more seeking a positive, healthy, and welcoming environment. The YMCA is a great community resource that enriches the physical and moral lives of those in our Cape communities with a plethora of health and fitness programs and services for the entire family. A more vibrant YMCA facility that connects families, neighbors, and generations is on the way,” Ms. Sutherland stated. Highlights of the new Y ‘on the way’ include: health/wellness center, intergenerational program center, childwatch area, computer enrichment center, family locker rooms, adult locker rooms, pool observation gallery, and accessibility for all … plus expanded parking and reception areas.
Craig Rockwood, Esq., Campaign Chair and past president of the YMCA’s Board of Directors added, “The YMCA Cape Cod is a firmly established community organization that has responded to the changing needs of the Cape landscape and environment. This success has brought new and exciting challenges that an expanded, renovated and environmentally friendly facility will address. Since our beginnings over 40 years ago, we have been committed to our mission of providing programs and services that build healthy spirits, minds and bodies. Expanding our facility will increase our capacity to offer more positive alternatives for children, teens and adults.” The new building will also address operating costs through energy efficient design features, such as co-generation. The expansion will utilize a co-generating system that captures waste heat and reuses it – producing significant energy savings over the long term. “We believe it’s important to make this renovated and expanded YMCA as environmentally friendly as reasonable,” Rockwood stated.
The completed project will add more than 18,500 square feet of space to the existing 23,000 square foot YMCA facility and address programmatic needs, membership services, child watch activities, changing facilities, reception and parking areas. The improvements will also bring the YMCA facility into full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Construction will begin in May and the entire project is slated for completion by the summer of 2009. The YMCA will remain open throughout all phases of construction. Located in West Barnstable on Route 132 across from Cape Cod Community College and adjacent to the Conservatory, the next chapter of the YMCA Cape Cod is bright with promise. The YMCA Cape Cod Y Capitalize Campaign is currently in the community phase of the fundraising efforts and hopes to secure the remaining $1.2 million in philanthropic support in the coming months. There are plenty of opportunities to invest in this project and to join in supporting this important community effort for the benefit of all. For more information, please visit the YMCA’s website at www.ymcacapecod.org.
Cape Business Newsletters
Keep up with the latest issues affecting your business and your life! To sign up for any of the Cape Business newsletters, click here.