Wednesday, April 1, 2015

A1: $500K donated to YMCA upgrade

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: March 17, 2015



$500K donated to YMCA upgrade

Locker rooms to get facelift

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News

A $500,000 donation to the Kettle Moraine YMCA in West Bend will give the facility a facelift to its adult locker rooms. Construction is expected to last five months, starting April 1.
The donor was not disclosed.
That donation, plus the donations of nine other parties, will fund the projected estimated cost of close to $900,000, YMCA Executive Director Rob Johnson said. No tax dollars or outside funds will be used for the project.
None of the donors’ names were disclosed, but they’ll be recognized once the project is completed, which is slated for Sept. 1.
“It’s unbelievable,” Johnson said. “The Kettle Moraine YMCA has a long tradition in the community.”
CG Schmidt Construction, Milwaukee, and Zimmerman Architecture, Milwaukee, will handle project construction and design.
Discussions for improving the adult locker room began about a year ago. The YMCA had in-house surveys for its members and had feedback sessions where members and nonmembers could introduce areas of concern.
The No. 1 concern from the surveys and the community feedback sessions was the condition of the adult locker rooms.
“We’re just thrilled to make an improvement that’s going to benefit all of our adult members,” Johnson said.
The YMCA was founded in West Bend in 1969 and the current building, which is located 111 W. Washington St., was built in 1973. Five years later, adult locker rooms were built in addition to the set of locker rooms located on the upper floor next to the swimming pool.
Not much has been done to either locker room since, outside of cosmetic work, such as new flooring in the adult locker rooms about five years ago.
“It really solidified the importance,” Johnson said of what he learned of the members’ desires after the feedback sessions.
“We really take it to heart, their comments,” he added. “While we can’t meet all the needs, we try to address as many as we can.”
The last major project at the YMCA was the family adventure pool, which cost $4 million and opened in June 2011. Johnson said that project was an easier sell to the community because everybody can see and/or use it.
The locker rooms, however, are only for members.
“It’s a tough project to showcase and see the benefit unless you’re one of the people utilizing the space,” Johnson said.
So if donors hadn’t stepped up the project “wouldn’t have happened without a doubt.”
During the remodel, the men’s and women’s adult locker rooms will be closed. The River Shores Branch is available for members 18 years old and older. The Feith Family Ozaukee YMCA in Port Washington is also available.
Johnson added the YMCA recently reached a five-year contract extension with the River Shores facility, which goes through 2020.
The Kettle Moraine YMCA has 12,663 members, which is close to its all-time high of 12,686 in June.

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