Both Marquette County YMCA facilities plan to expand
Both of the YMCA facilities in Marquette County will look very different in the near future. ABC 10 senior reporter Mike Hoey spoke with ‘Y’ officials about the improvements the group is making to serve residents better.
The $1.2 million relocation of the West End YMCA is just about complete. Smaller items are still being moved into the former Range Bank headquarters building in downtown Negaunee.
“We’re thrilled to be able to be at this point and excited to be able to share our new space with the community, all the families and kids, older adults, everybody that’s going to take advantage and benefit from it,” YMCA West End program leader Rachel Berglund said.
The new West End ‘Y’ is about twice the size of the old one and includes rooms for wellness classes and youth activities. It’s also added a sauna, locker rooms and showers.
“We had to add in a larger water line for the sauna (and) the fire suppression system to bring the building up to code and that kind of good stuff,” Berglund said. “(Because of) the frost, we just got our permit to add the water line a couple of days ago.”
All of the cardio equipment is brand-new, from stairclimbers to treadmills to ellipticals and more. All of it was moved in about two weeks ago. In fact, all of the gym equipment in the wellness center is brand-new. ‘Y’ staff members are expecting to open the doors this Sunday. They’ll hold an open house on Monday, June 23rd, so that anyone can come check it out.
The YMCA facility in Marquette also has plans to expand soon.
“It’s passed the (city) Planning Commission,” YMCA of Marquette County CEO Lisa Coombs-Gerou said. “It went through the variances we needed for the height and for parking, and we’re all set. It is currently being reviewed by the USDA for final bid release, which we anticipate in the next couple of weeks.”
The ‘Y’ obtained a federal loan of nearly $3 million last year for the Marquette expansion. A groundbreaking ceremony for that project should take place sometime in mid-to-late July.