Barren County Family YMCA
By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
The Barren County Family YMCA is planning to add a new addition to their main building with the goal to better serve the county’s senior community.
On June 13 Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced that the Barren County Family YMCA has received $750,000 to building the new addition. At the time of the announcement Glasgow Mayor Henry Royse said the “addition [was] also going to allow for senior classes and serve a need of our community that many times is underserved.”
YMCA CEO Tara Bailey confirmed and expanded on the mayor’s remarks saying this new addition will create a designated space for their senior activities — specifically the senior food and fitness programs, which are currently being held in the gymnasium.
“We have to use our gymnasium space for both the meals program and the fitness program,” Bailey said. “We’re always struggling with space.”
“This area we’ll give them…their own space. They’ll be able to just sit down and spend quality time with each other,” she added.
The $750,000 community block grant was dispensed through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development with the YMCA receiving grant-writing assistance from the Barren River Area Development District and through partnership with the city of Glasgow. Bailey said the grant required a commitment of ten percent from the YMCA, which was provided through Rosemary Brown.
The roughly 3,000 sq. ft. addition will be located in the northwest corner of the facility behind the swimming pool area. Bailey said that while the specific dimensions are at the YMCA’s discretion, the square footage and its location are constricted due to the grant.
A drawing of the new addition to the Barren County Family YMCA. The 3,000 sq. ft. addition is located behind the pool (or in this case above the pool area); opposite of the main doors.
“The location we cannot change because that was in the acceptance of the grant,” Bailey said. “In the grant process they had to…meet certain criterias — it couldn’t displace anyone, it could not be near hazardous material and all those types of specifications had to be met before it was even considered.”
Bailey said the process to construction is still several months away with the project not being put out to bid until Nov. 4 with a deadline of Dec. 11, after which YMCA personnel, along with members from the city and BRADD, will open the sealed bids and select the lowest, qualified bidder.
All-in-all, Bailey hopes to have the groundbreaking ceremony by spring 2025.
“If everything goes as planned we’re expecting March,” Bailey said.
Comments