When the shovels hit the ground early next week, the La Jolla YMCA will embark on a new era. Groundbreaking is set for Monday on a new 9,000-square-foot, multi-purpose gymnasium.
The new facility will bring a new space to the community for expanded sports programs, such as adult and youth sports leagues, basketball and volleyball and additional space for gymnastics, open gym, fitness classes and more.
La Jolla YMCA executive director Sam Wurtzbacher said the idea for the new gymnasium came about due to lack of gymnasium space for sports and activities throughout San Diego County and the Y’s immediate surrounding communities.
“We built this project into our strategic plan to serve our community better by meeting the need for space and programs,” Wurtzbacher said.
The Y’s existing gymnasium is more than 34 years old and has never been renovated.
“It is a multi-purpose space that is simply being outgrown and no longer able to meet the needs of the community,” Wurtzbacher said. “This project is part of the Phase I Improvements to our entire facility, which is over 43 years old. The new gymnasium will take approximately nine to 12 months to build once groundbreaking has commenced. We anticipate a grand opening for next summer.”
Wurtzbacher added that despite the construction, it is important to know that the YMCA will remain fully operational during construction.
“We have taken every safety precaution and have invested in a construction plan that will allow us to continue to serve the community while we improve our facilities,” Wurtzbacher noted.
According to Wurtzbacher, the new gymnasium will cost about $1 million to build.
“Our board of management has committed to the project. We have obtained the proper permits and are set with plans for construction,” Wurtzbacher said. “However, we are still in need of someone from the community to help us with a donation to complete the project. The opportunity to name our gymnasium is available for a donation of $650,000. We encourage anyone who has a desire to invest in this community to come forward for our YMCA.”
Wurtzbacher said many considerations have been taken to meet the needs and desires of the Y’s immediate neighbors as well. Community members requested a low-profile building. In being sensitive to the community, the YMCA has made an additional investment to construct a sunken gymnasium that will reportedly easily blend with the current surroundings.
Wurtzbacher noted that for many years the YMCA has seen a growing trend in program overflow and waiting lists for programs due to spatial limitations.
“We serve over 10,000 people in our programs each year and close to 6,000 people through programs in the gymnasium,” Wurtzbacher said. “This renovation will allow us to serve thousands more community members each year “” allowing us to double the number of people in many of our programs.”
Wurtzbacher said the existing gymnasium will become a full-time gymnastics center with dynamic equipment.
Currently, the space is split throughout the day for designated times to have gymnastics activities and other gym activities.
As for next Monday’s groundbreaking, everyone in the community is invited to come celebrate this new adventure at the YMCA.
“The community has expressed a strong desire to have the new gymnasium built,” Wurtzbacher said. “Everything we do at the YMCA is driven by community and member needs for services.”
For more information on the La Jolla YMCA, 8355 Cliffridge Ave., call (858) 453-3483 or visit www.ymca.org.