YMCA renovation in full swing in Waynesboro

October 20, 2006|by KATE S. ALEXANDER/Staff Correspondent

WAYNESBORO, Pa. - What is now a spread of dirt along East Main Street (Pa. 16), will in time be a spectacle of glass, clean lines and tangential arcs, according to Alan Smith, the executive director of the Waynesboro Area YMCA.

The dirt, which covers a portion of the Waynesboro YMCA front lawn and parking lot, is the beginning of the facility's $2.2 million renovation and addition set to include a stunning new entrance and a rock climbing wall.

Work on the project officially began Oct. 2, but Smith explained, "what you see now is only the construction out front."

Set to add 12,000 square feet to the front of the building, the first phase will expand the YMCA facility, adding more playground space, a 3,000-square-foot fitness center, multi-purpose rooms, a conference room and a new entrance.

"The entrance will be like nothing else you have seen in the area," Smith said. Describing the entrance designed by David Black of Chambersburg, Pa., as "very aesthetically pleasing," Smith said it will "make you say 'wow' when you walk in."

Once the front of the building is complete, renovations will begin on 4,000 square feet of existing space. Smith said the plan is to expand the teen center and add an indoor climbing wall, a special needs locker room and an enclosed kids zone.

"We will be the only YMCA around with a full indoor climbing wall," he said.

The YMCA funded the project through a capital campaign that has raised $1.5 million, only a portion of the project's cost.

Saying that the YMCA has presently "taken on debt," Smith emphasized "we are still trying to generate funding through grants."

For now, despite some noise and inconvenience from using the east entrance, the facility is fully functional and will remain open throughout the project.

"The only people who will be inconvenienced are people like me who have their office moved," Smith said.

Workers from contractor Waynesboro Construction will work year-round on the project, which the YMCA hopes to be completed by October 2007.

Photo by Kate S. Alexander

Crews move dirt in front of the Waynesboro YMCA Wednesday. The site of the former playground area will be the home of the facility's new entrance.

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