For the first time on their own campus, the Owensboro Family YMCA held their annual Young Leaders luncheon Tuesday with a gymnasium full of community leaders and hopeful high school students waiting to hear if they had won a $1,000 scholarship.
Daviess County High School’s Jordan Carr and Owensboro Catholic High School’s Kevin Ralph were the recipients of this year’s scholarships, presented after Kentucky Sports Radio’s Matt Jones gave the keynote address.
YMCA Chief Volunteer Officer Lynn Holland used Tuesday’s luncheon to unveil a three-phase renovation of the Kentucky Parkway YMCA campus.
“Our facility has fallen behind the times,” Holland told the crowd of nearly 300. “It’s in need of a huge facelift.”
Phase I will focus on the lobby and should begin work in the next 90 days, Holland told Owensboro Times after the luncheon presentation.
“We are going to put a lot of splash, a lot of glitter into that area,” Holland said. “I want an engaging site.”
Holland said he would like to see the lobby be a place for all ages to gather and promote a sense of community within the facility.
Phase II will involve taking out two of four locker rooms and converting nearly 2,600 square feet of space into performance rooms.
“YMCAs today make their bread and butter off of classes,” Holland said, noting the growing popularity of yoga, pilates and boot camps.
Currently, these classes are offered at the YMCA’s second campus, the Athenian, located on Chuck Gray Court. Holland said once Phase II is complete, those classes will be moved to the new performance rooms at the Kentucky Parkway campus. He expects Phases I and II to be completed by Jan. 1, 2020, at which point the Athenian will be permanently closed.
“It doesn’t make sense to have two facilities inside a community this size and have them two miles apart,” Holland said.
Closing that facility will save the YMCA $300,000 a year, Holland said, and the sale of the property will help fund the renovation plan. Additionally, Holland said YMCA officials plan to sell 22 acres of land on New Hartford Road, property that was donated 20 years ago and at one time was earmarked for a day camp, to put toward the renovation plan.
“We’re going to take that money that’s doing us nothing, and [allow us to do] something,” Holland said.
Holland expects Phase III, an outdoor exercise space, to be completed in the next 18 months.
Long-term, Holland said the YMCA plans to build an outdoor aquatics center, with the hope of partnering with the City of Owensboro to make the pool available to the public. He also said that, within a year, he hopes to seek permission to close Kentucky Parkway to traffic in order to increase the safety of YMCA members entering and exiting the building.
Holland said there is no cost estimate for the total renovation project and the YMCA is currently taking bids for lobby and classroom renovations.
Owensboro YMCA’s interim CEO Tony Sigmon took a position out of state last week. Ed Wallace, former CEO of the Madisonville YMCA, accepted the interim position as of Tuesday and will oversee the Owensboro locations until a permanent CEO is found. The board will conclude is search process on April 29 and begin reviewing applications with the goal of having a new hire in six weeks.
Other students nominated for the Young Leader scholarships received a $50 Visa gift card.
Apollo High School — Marcus Hayden, Caroline Shutt, William Leigh, Gracelyn Bush, Grace Sandefur, James Scrivner, Lindsey Hargitt and Brooklyn Knight
Daviess County High School — Emma Brasher, Hailey Lancaster, Haley Haynes, Kaitelynn Burns-Kirby and Allison Boarman
Owensboro Catholic High School — Amber Payne, Javaughan Williams, Lauren Eyre, Jade Flaherty and Griffin Rudy
Owensboro High School — Ann Kimmell, Britt Gray, Grant Luckett, Brianna Hanley, Z’naja Talbott, Conner Elliott and Savannah Gatton
