Rendering of the announced new facility for the YMCA of the Palm Beaches. [Photo by YMCA of the Palm Beaches]
The Florida Legislature has appropriated $1.25 million for construction costs associated with the new flagship branch of the YMCA of the Palm Beaches.
Sen. Bobby Powell and Rep. Michael Caruso sponsored the grant.
The YMCA this year announced a $46 million capital project, in partnership with the Palm Beach County Parks & Recreation Department, to relocate and expand its flagship, scheduled for groundbreaking this year..
“We are extremely grateful to our legislators for their overwhelming support of this expansive project,” says Timothy Coffield, the president and CEO of the YMCA of the Palm Beaches. “This is an important investment in our community’s future, and we are honored that the state of Florida has approved funding that will help make this long-awaited dream a reality.”
The Palm Beach Board of County Commissioners has approved a 50-year ground lease to enable the YMCA to build a state-of-the-art, 55,000-square-foot community center and Olympic-style skate park adjacent to the county’s future aquatic facility. This public-private partnership replicates a successful model used by other YMCAs and municipalities nationwide.
The new facilities will be centrally located at Lake Lytal Park, just off Southern Boulevard, and will have the capacity to serve four times as many people as the previous facility.
A hallmark of the new YMCA community center, its Youth Engagement and Resource Center, will focus on mentoring people ages 12 to 22. In addition, the new Y will offer programming for teens in areas such as visual arts, music recording, college preparation and workforce skills training, as well as a STEM lab.
For more information, visit ymcapalmbeaches.org.
