Executive director of the Dale Turner YMCA Courtney Whitaker said she understands how the word construction can sometimes be synonymous with delays. But she also knows how it feels to be less than three months away from an anticipated grand opening of the region’s new YMCA.
“We’re pretty much on schedule,” she said while leading a hard hat tour at the facility at the northwest corner of Aurora Avenue and North 192nd Street in Shoreline. “We had a little slippage in the winter months because of weather but they’re trying to get us back on schedule we feel really confident that we’ll make that date.”
That date is Saturday, October 4. On that day, the public is invited to see what the new facility offers. The 52,000 square foot, $19.6 million YMCA in Shoreline is the first of three new YMCAs to open within the next year. A facility in SeaTac and another in Newcastle are scheduled to open next summer.
“It’ll be the first time that we’ve ever been under construction of three Ys at one time,” Linnea Westerlind, communication director of the YMCA of Greater Seattle said. “It’s very historic.”
Westerlind and youth development director of the Dale turner YMCA Jen Landery were part of a hard hat tour July 8 of the construction site.
“One of things we’ve heard is there’s no space in this community to have meetings,” Whitaker said after leading a small group inside the building.
A portion of the main floor, she said, will be accessible free of charge for groups to assemble in meeting rooms and for teens to take part in the Youth Development Center. Priority for use of the two meeting rooms will be given to nonprofit organizations first, she added.
The Youth Development Center will be a place for teens to meet, play pool, use computers to network and participate in leadership activities. The space is something that is highly anticipated by the youth Landery works with on a routine basis.
“Right now our teen center consists of anyplace that will hold us,” she said. “This is their space; it’s a first for them. I think they’ll take a lot of ownership and pride in it.”
From the main entrance off Aurora, YMCA patrons walk into an entry space and look out and over a 25-yard handicapped accessible pool.
While she’s most excited about the pool, Whitaker said the part of the Dale Turner YMCA that evokes the biggest ‘wows’ so far has been the full-sized gym.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better space here,” she said stepping into a large gym lined with six basketball hoops and a view of a pinnacle climbing wall. The tops of trees along the Interurban Trail are visible from large windows near the ceiling. “Gyms are known for not being particularly bright so I’m very excited about how it turned out.”
After the electricity is working, maple wood flooring will start to cover the gym space, according to Whitaker, and will be striped for full court and half court play as well as volleyball.
In addition to the locker rooms, six family changing stations can be used by YMCA patrons. Whitaker envisions the rooms will be used by mothers with young children as well as those who may need some assistance while preparing to use the pool or workout facilities.
On the second floor visitors will walk into an area known as the Family Resource Center that is “pretty much set up like your home livingroom” according to Whitaker. Nearby, adults can leave their infants or toddlers in supervised care at the Kids Corner or let their children ages 5 to 12 play in the Adventure Zone.
“As long as you’re using the facility as an adult you can check your kids in free of charge with a membership,” Whitaker said. “We want to take down any barriers that may stop people from using the Y as a family.”
The cardio space is larger than the original Shoreline/South County YMCA, according to Whitaker, and will take some time to fill with new exercise equipment.
“It’s a big room to fill,” she said. “We’ll add equipment slowly and really try to build on what we see the community using.”
Members can also use the Reflection Room with bamboo flooring for yoga and meditation, work with a personal trainer or prepare a healthy snack in the Community Demonstration Kitchen.
A main focus of the new YMCA will be to serve families, Whitaker said.
“Without a doubt we want to serve families and a lot of the programs are developed around that,” she said.
But, she maintains, the YMCA has something for everyone.
“At any given time of day when we roll out the schedules this fall you should be able to find something to do no matter your age and no matter your fitness ability,” she said.
Whitaker expects the excitement for the new YMCA to continue to build. More than double the membership units of the current YMCA have been presold, she said and her prediction is the Dale Turner YMCA will serve 30,000 people by the end of 2009.
She hopes the YMCA will live up to its namesake.
“The late Reverend Turner was a lifetime member of the YMCA who lived in Lake Forest Park and had deep ties to the community as well as a deep tie to building community,” Whitaker said. “We’re hoping this YMCA does that too.”
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