The plans for the potential merger of the Owensboro Family YMCA and Senior Community Center now include an expanded parking lot and the addition of an access point to Scherm Road after getting approval from the City, officials said Wednesday.
YMCA President/CEO John Alexander said while none of the plans for the merger have been finalized or accepted, he said they would need to purchase some property west of Danzer Orthodontics should everything go through.
The proposed intersection would then be a four-way intersection and would align with the entrance to Kentucky Wesleyan College’s Winchester Hall.
Additionally, the plan will call for a parking lot that holds about 250 spaces stretching from Scherm to Kentucky Parkway. The parking lot would be added on from their current space to Scherm, which Alexander noted is a bit far from the facility.
“We think this is primarily going to be an overflow [area] anyway, for some larger events or activities like a swim meet or something like that. We realized that that’s too far for seniors to walk to,” Alexander said.
To increase the safety of Princeton Parkway (the road separating the Y from their parking lot) the City has also agreed to close off access from Kentucky Parkway and make the primary access point the Scherm Road intersection.
There will also be a drop-off place and spots reserved for the Meals on Wheels program that the senior center participates in as well.
Alexander also shed some light on the timeline of the feasibility study to see how much funding the two organizations might raise.
“We’re looking at about four months for our feasibility study, so sometime in the early spring we’ll begin to report that back when they tell us that we can raise X number of dollars,” he said.
Then a decision will be made on the plans, primarily focusing on a fundraising campaign that will take several months.
It’s not until 2024 that the two organizations could actually begin projects for the building. That is crucial, Alexander said, because ARPA funds will be disappearing in two years if not used.
Jennifer Allen, chair of the senior center board, said it’s important they help get the seniors into the best situation possible.
“I want the seniors to be happy, I want them to be safe, I want them to have all the programs that they want,” Allen said. “We set our seniors up into the 21st century and I’m hoping this will be the best fit.”
