Greensburg YMCA needs up to $2M for renovation plans to be revealed Saturday

The Greensburg YMCA will reveal plans for its next major renovation project on Saturday at the Kinderhook Mile race and block party on Maple Avenue.

It will renovate locker rooms and add a new family changing room. The first floor will be rearranged, making room for a larger lobby. There will be a new group exercise room and a larger child watch section.

Work will be done in phases. The first phase is renovating the women’s locker room, which has been closed more than a year due to mechanical problems, CEO George O’Brien said. Women have been using the separate girl’s locker room.

Renovation plans have been in the works for years, O’Brien said, but they’re happening sooner than originally thought because of the locker room closure, O’Brien said.

“It kind of forced our hand,” he said.

The YMCA has the money for the locker room renovation and repairs, he said. The rest will require fundraising.

The organization has spent $1.5 million since 2013 renovating its 106-year-old building. It needs another $1.5 to $2 million to finish the job, O’Brien said.

“We need to have a renovated space in order to continue our mission,” he said.

The organization has been seeking grants and recently received $125,000 from an anonymous local foundation, O’Brien said.

The YMCA will start a fundraising campaign in late summer or early fall, O’Brien said.

When O’Brien became CEO in 2012, YMCA board members and officials discussed whether to invest in its aging building or move out of downtown Greensburg to the suburbs, O’Brien said. They opted to stay.

Over the next several years, the organization renovated its gym and pool, repaired its facade and rebuilt its front porch.

It has about 3,500 members, up about 1,500 from 2012. O’Brien expects that growth to continue.

The Kinderhook Mile is a chance to get the community excited about the organization’s plans, he said.

The event used to be a Greensburg tradition, sending runners sprinting downhill on South Maple Avenue.

It was discontinued in the early 2000s, before the YMCA brought it back last year.

The 2018 Kinderhook Mile had about 70 runners.

The 2019 race will be followed by a block party with food provided by Sun Dawg Cafe. Cost is $25, or $30 the day of the race. The race starts at 9 a.m. Saturday.

More information is available on the Greensburg YMCA website.