Kokomo opens $16M YMCA
KOKOMO, Ind. (WISH) – Gym-goers are singing the praises of Kokomo’s new YMCA.
City officials cut the ribbon on the facility Monday morning. It was after nearly 20 years in the making.
“It is absolutely amazing, just the whole facility, looking at the pool, looking at the weight room, all the new equipment they have — it’s stunning,” Matt Elless said while working out.
The new facility is replacing the city’s 100-year-old YMCA building.
“Night and day, night and day. It’s a lot better,” Matt Gerry said, comparing the two facilities.
The new facility cost $16 million, is three stories high and 83,000 square feet.
“The pool is really nice, it’s a lot bigger; the new equipment is awesome,” said Cassandra Walker, who attended the ribbon cutting.
There’s an Olympic-size pool downstairs, an elevated track upstairs and over 40 pieces of cardio equipment.
But officials said it’s a lot more than a workout facility.
“The Y is much more than a gym,” said Dave Dubois, the executive director of Kokomo YMCA. “Everything we do [is important], whether it’s a swimming lesson, whether it’s an opportunity to build into the lives of kids and teens and adults and seniors.”
The new facility is built in the center of downtown on what used to be a vacant factory lot. City leaders say it will benefit even those who never go inside.
“The whole neighborhood has been improved because of this,” Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight said. “If we can get a $16 million new YMCA, and also revitalize an urban block that has not seen any investment in decades, we pretty much get a two-for-one.”
The city hasn’t decided what it will do with the former YMCA building, which is right across the street from the new one.