Tuesday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the Henderson Family YMCA’s construction project marks the beginning of what Board Chair Vanessa Jones called “the beginning of progress.”
About 100 people were present to witness the groundbreaking, braving the breezy, cool conditions as they gathered at the rear of the former Social Services building, set for demolition soon after Thanksgiving to make way for the new 38,000-square-foot building.
“We’re really excited about this project for our community,” said Bert Long, vice president of H.G. Reynolds, the local firm in charge of the project, which also will include a new outdoor pool with a retractable cover and improved outdoor walking track.
Interim CEO David Caudle said crews will begin work soon to tear down the former DSS building to make way for the expansion that lies ahead. Taking advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Y will be closed from Tuesday, Nov. 25 through Thanksgiving Day. to reconfigure the parking lot in preparation for the new facility. The Y will re-open on Friday, Nov. 28. The Y will remain open during the project, but the outdoor track will be closed from Tuesday, Nov. 25 until renovations there are completed.
The project includes a new wellness facility that will house a full basketball gym, an upper-level walking track, updated weight and cardio areas, and a studio room for classes like Silver Sneakers, step, yoga and more.
The outdoor improvements will include a retractable-dome pool suitable for swim meets, as well as a new playground, multi-purpose sports field and an updated outdoor track.
David Carver, chairman of Henderson Vance Healthcare, Inc., recounted the path thus far, more than three years in the making.
With the purchase of the Social Services building “was really the spark, the momentum to make the journey easier,” Carver said. Thanks to a $1 million gift from local physician Dr. Khanh Vu and wife Elmira Choopani in 2022, the Y was able to purchase the building that formerly housed the county’s Social Services offices.
“This is a big deal,” Carver said, adding that the project will enable the YMCA to expand services and programs for everyone from youth to seniors.
In remarks to those gathered, Triangle North Healthcare Board President Terri Hedrick said the facilities expansion also means an expansion of services and programs for the community to use and enjoy.
Carver said, “Our foundation couldn’t do anything better to touch peoples’ lives…Be proud. You should be – this is yours to be enjoyed.”
Learn more at hendersonymca.org.
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