State representatives, city officials and neighbors will celebrate being another step closer to having a new 52,000-square-foot YMCA facility near Echo Lake at an official groundbreaking on July 17.
YMCA staff anticipates that at least 100 people will attend the event from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the site of the future Shoreline/South County Family YMCA located at North 192nd Street and Aurora Avenue North in Shoreline.
“It’s a chance for everyone to get excited about it,” Linnea Westerlind, YMCA communications director said.
Construction of the $19.5 million dollar project is estimated to take one year. A grand opening of the facility is tentatively scheduled for summer 2008. The new YMCA multi-level will feature a 25-yard pool, a full-sized gym, a pinnacle climbing wall, a healthy lifestyle room and a community kitchen. A Family Center will provide space for children and families to interact while a Youth Development Center will serve youth when school is not in session. The facility will serve three times as many people as the current facility.
“I think it’s going to be a first-class community HUB and the most exciting thing is that people of all ages, all ethnicities and all income-levels can enjoy it,” Stephen Dunn, campaign manager said. “The YMCA is a great place to build character and support families and Shoreline needs a place like that.”
Washington State Gov. Christine Gregoire approved $800,000 for the new Echo Lake YMCA as part of this year’s capital budget. During her first official trip to Shoreline as governor on July 5, Gregoire helped lead YMCA day campers ages 6 to 12 in a song during their close of the day assembly at Shoreview Park.
“I like to go out and get a feel for what people are doing,” Gregoire said. “And there are great things happening here. A community should be engaged, enriched and proud and if the state can contribute money to help make that possible then it should.”
The local community has set a fundraising goal of $5.75 million, YMCA branch executive Courtney Whitaker said. A total of $4.2 million has been raised so far and Whitaker anticipates that the rest will be raised through a community phase of fundraising that will begin shortly after the groundbreaking.
Whitaker said a larger and more comprehensive facility than the current one located at Northeast 175th Street will better serve community needs.
“Our current facility has a limited capacity and that has kept us from being open to the whole community,” she said. “A larger facility will allow us to be more open to the public and added staff and resources will support a wider range of people in our community.”
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