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Building for the Generations
By KATINA TENGESDAL
Staff Writer
ktengesdal@minotdailynews.com
The Minot Family YMCA is getting closer to
starting work on its
expansion project.
For the last couple of years, the YMCA has been
working on the
project, known as "Building for the
Generations." The project will
add to the YMCA facility so younger generations
can have more fitness
options. Bidding for construction on the
additions will begin April 27.
The expanded facility will feature another
full-sized gym, a climbing
tower, a new racquetball court, an expanded
weight lifting and
cardiovascular equipment facility, an extended
track, more locker
room space and more storage space. The current
facility will be
expanded by 37,000 square feet.
"Specifically, the weight room for strength
training and
cardiovascular equipment expansion will be for
younger teens. There
will be interactive cardiovascular equipment -
they can play a video
game while exercising," said Roger Mazurek, YMCA
director.
Mazurek explained that the new gym will offer a
playground for kids,
so they have a place to play while their parents
exercise.
"Then they are able to burn calories, too. They
are not just being in
a room with a babysitter," he said.
The additional gym will make it easier for the
"Y" to expand
programming without displacing kids who want to
use the gym.
"It's difficult to add programs now. We operate
from 5 a.m. to 10:30
p.m., and we're scheduled 100 percent of the
time. Anything new we
would add displaces something we're currently
doing," Mazurek said.
In addition, the project includes plans for a
special needs locker room.
"Right now, people with special needs end up in
the restrooms by the
pool," said Jay Altringer, chairman of the board
for the YMCA.
Planning for the new additions began three years
ago, Altringer said,
when the YMCA board decided on the expansion
program.
"We set our goals out there a ways. The
executive committee has
looked outside the box. At first, it looked like
a large project and
it looked unattainable, but we figured after a
few weeks that we
could do it," Altringer said.
Along the way, Altringer explained, several
goals and schedules were
met to keep the project on track.
"We set up goals to be able to achieve where we
are now. There was a
question if we would be able to do this at such
a fast pace," he said.
Bidding for construction of the additions opens
April 27, Altringer
said, and construction is expected to take a
little over a year, with
the new additions ready to be used by the spring
or summer of 2008.
Right now, the YMCA board is still campaigning
for additional funds
for the project.
"There will be one last community push. We have
100-plus volunteers
going out into the community to ask for support,
beginning April 25,"
Altringer said.
"We've tried to reach everybody in Minot so far,
and now we're giving
a chance to those that might not have been
contacted to donate," he
added.
So far, the board has raised $2.1 million in
funds for the project.
Before the ideas began, the YMCA sought advice
from volunteers, YMCA
members, and other community members to ask what
they would like to
see in the new additions.
"Most board members have a strong feeling in
making the "Y" better
for the community and kids," Altringer said.
"It's truly built for the community by the
community, and volunteers
work together to make sure we're working for the
community," Mazurek
said.
The YMCA hopes to continue to give back to the
community, and reach
more area residents with the new additions.
In 2006, the number of members and program
participants at the YMCA
reached 18,135.
"Those are unduplicated participants. We're out
there hitting a good
percentage of what we have in the community,"
Mazurek said.
With the new additions, YMCA board members hope
to reach even more
participants and continue to support the
community. In 2006, 682
individuals received financial assistance for
memberships and
programs totalling $129,050 and along with that
and other donations,
the YMCA gave back $462,942 to the community.
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