SPECIAL-SECTIONS

'New' Wilmington YMCA to open Dec. 31

Hunter Ingram StarNews Staff

WILMINGTON -- It's coming down to the wire, but the new YMCA on Market Street will keep its promise to the community to open before the end of 2018.

The new facility, now named the Nir Family YMCA, will open to the public on Dec. 31 following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 30, YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina president and CEO Dick Jones said.

The path to the finish line became a bit more of a dash in the final stretch after Hurricane Florence shut down the construction site for 18 days this fall. But Jones said there's no better place to start a new year than at the YMCA.

"We wanted to keep that promise we made," he said. "But we also know that when people think about the new year, they think about their families and their health. We want folks to start out the new year right at the YMCA."

After a devastating fire ripped through the back half of the YMCA community center in February 2015, the organization began efforts to raise money to rebuild -- and build better.

"I believe the vision we had the very beginning is coming to fruition in a very big way," Jones said. "It's hard not think back to the way the site was after the fire. It's amazing the differences you will see and experience.

The new fully-inclusive facility -- the main entrance of which is made of tall glass walls to offer plenty of natural light -- will offer more communal socializing space where people can sit, talk and interact in open, airy comfortable places. Younger guests will also have plenty of room to learn and interact, with more space in the Child Watch and Adventure areas. In fact, a whole wing is now dedicated to youth services, where Sarah Gibbs, director of financial development and marketing, said the focus is on families.

"That whole wing has its own separate entrance, which will be safer for children coming in and out and reduces congestion we saw at the previous Y," she said.

There will also be a family locker room that allows multiple generations to engage in the facility safely.

In addition to a lap pool for exercise, there is a family pool at the rear of the building with a splash pad.

For all ages, the gymnasium and courts will offer plenty of recreational sports, including pickleball, badminton, racquetball and handball courts. The second floor is also entirely devoted to wellness exercise, with equipment stations as well as rooms for Zumba, yoga and cycling/rowing.

With the cost of construction and facility equipment, and the added cost of Florence-related delays, Jones said the total price tag for the new YMCA will reach $10 million -- much of which has been donated by the community.

While the fire and the hurricane were set backs for the community center, Jones said he thinks the light at the end of the tunnel will be the debut of the facility.

"You don't wish what our community has gone through on any community, but there is a silver lining to this cloud," he said. "The community will agree when they come back and see and join and participate. We really are better for what we've gone through."

Reporter Hunter Ingram can be reached at 910-343-2327 or Hunter.Ingram@StarNewsOnline.com.