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New Miami County YMCA may be
Prices Good Jan. 28 th - Feb. 10th
Christmas gift ready to open in 2021 By Michelle Boswell mboswell@thepaperofmiami.com The construction of the new Miami County YMCA is well underway and if all goes well, Miami County could very well see the new facility open to the public at Christmastime, 2021. “Construction is going very well—we are on schedule for substantial completion by Nov. 12 this year, which means opening the new building in mid to late December for a wonderful Christmas present for Miami County,” said Mark Demchak, Miami County YMCA CEO. A ground-breaking ceremony was held on Sept. 22, 2020. During the ceremony, Demchak mentioned the fact that the idea of building a new facility had been in the works for five years. Now the building is taking shape and the vision of Demchak and many others involved with the project is becoming a reality. While the building is visibly taking shape, there have been a few snags along the way. “The biggest hurdle was the unpredictable amount of buried concrete foundations from the old railroad maintenance yard. We had to remove much more than anyone thought would be there, and that added an extra six weeks of time onto our project and around $865,000. We are grateful for the city’s approval of TIF fund dollars late last summer— that covered 80% of the unforeseen costs for land development. The good news is that we are now out of the ground, so we shouldn’t see any more site development surprises going forward,’ said Mark Demchak Demchak. During Miami County YMCA CEO the groundbreaking cere m o n y , Demchak said the goal of 12.9 million was met and “it should have been enough to cover everything…unfortunately, in these unprecedented times, the recent facts on the ground is that it won’t cover everything. I’m obligated to tell you that the hard reality is the construction costs
“If people want to invest in our community’s future, the YMCA will be their determined partner working toward a brighter future for all for many years to come.”
Vol. 1, No. 51
The new Miami County YMCA building is taking shape. Construction could be finished as soon as Nov. 12 with a possible opening to the public around Chirstmas, 2021. Photos by Harold Chatlosh. have far outpaced our fundraising efforts. We had to make the difficult decision to proceed with the knowledge that we still don’t have 100 percent of the costs covered.” Where does that leave the Demchak and his fundraising team now? “There is still plenty of room on the Donor Wall! COVID continues to hamper our fundraising efforts. Right now, the virus is a more pressing issue in most of our lives, so we aren’t pushing hard. We’ll start ramping up efforts this spring, but there’s no reason to wait. Anyone interested in supporting the project can contact me at the YMCA at 765-472-1979 or mdemchak@mcymca.org. We have a little match money left, so for a limited time, we can still double people’s pledges until those dollars are gone. Quick donations can be made at mcymca.org—click the “Donate” button and select “New YMCA.” Pledges can also be spread over 3-5 years—pledge cards and other project materials are available at our shared drive online: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1L25Ad3 DM3gDtWLDmW7Mp4-yo978cubJe,” he said. He added, “We are waiting a few more months to reduce the chance of other changes in construction
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before we set a final fundraising goal.” Those wondering what will happen with the current YMCA, Demchak said, “there are a number of ideas being discussed, but we will not be making any decisions until we get much closer to opening the new facility. Any decisions we make will be based on supporting our strategic goals.” Demchak knows 2020 was a difficult year but feels there was much to learn from it and is confident about what the new YMCA will provide for Miami County. He explained, “we are incredibly grateful and humbled by the number of donors and dollars committed to this project—truly amazing what Miami County can do if we put our minds to it! If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s what is really important in our lives. This project is an investment in helping families become more resilient, youth learning social and emotional skills from positive role models, and our community becoming an even better place to work, play, and raise a family. If people want to invest in our community’s future, the YMCA will be their determined partner working toward a brighter future for all for many years to come.”