YMCA To Expand For Second Time In Five Years

TONY HOLT - A booming membership has forced a local gym to get a lot bigger.

Plans already are underway for the Hernando County Branch YMCA to expand in size by approximately 50 percent - from 20,000 square feet to more than 30,000.

A wall dividing the child care section (known as the kids zone) and the teen center will be torn down, turning it into one large indoor playground.

A separate building will be erected a short distance from the existing facility and will be connected by a corridor. The additional space will provide members with a larger teen center, additional aerobics space and a more expansive wellness center.

"After the last expansion (in 2003), everything got bigger," said district vice president Sue Ball.

A new-and-improved building attracted more members. It did not take long for a committee to take shape and explore the option of another expansion.

"We're doing this to serve our members better and to serve our community better," Ball said.

A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 30. The total cost of the construction is estimated at $2.25 million.

Local YMCA spokeswoman Olivia Matles has been there for 18 years. She remembers when the gym was accessible from dirt roads.

"It was more like a cozy YMCA back then," she said. "It's very exciting to see all this growth. These are very exciting times."

The plans for the expansion are posted on the bulletin board next to the entrance. Members can see for themselves how the gym will expand east of the existing swimming pool.

The area where people lift weights and jog on treadmills will soon be converted into a multi-faceted space. That is where the new teen room and activities room will be located.

The building being built from scratch will mostly house the new wellness center, which will be considerably larger than the current workout area.

Construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. Some of the newer facilities will become accessible as early as the fall, Ball said.