The Greater Richmond YMCA and community leaders joined together for a groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of a major construction project for the Petersburg YMCA. The facility is adding 16,000 square feet to include a new entrance lobby, child care area, café, community kitchen, community room, group exercise room and an expanded wellness facility.
Several areas of the existing facility will see improvements through renovations to the yoga room, sauna and locker rooms. The new building façade will consist of aluminum composite panels, storefront glazing, fiber cement panels and brick. The facility will remain open throughout the duration of the construction.
KBS and the YMCA have worked together closely to develop protection and member routing plans so that the facility will remain fully operational throughout the full duration of the expansion. “I am excited for the opportunity to work with the YMCA on another complex expansion project,” said Will Paulette, KBS project manager, “It’s evident when you first walk into the door how important this YMCA branch is to the community. We are fortunate to work on a project that will be so transformative.”
The project is expected to be completed in late 2018. KBS has completed other projects for the Greater Richmond YMCA including the YMCA Shady Grove Tommy J. West Aquatic Center.
Several children who are enrolled in programs with the Petersburg YMCA attended the ceremony as honorary guests. The Petersburg YMCA provides services to roughly 400 children daily and has more than 5,000 members. The center offers swimming lessons, summer academic programs and many other youth programs.
“This is the largest investment in social equity we’ve ever made in this community,” said Tim Joyce, president and CEO for the YMCA of Greater Richmond. “The Y understands that though Petersburg has challenges, at the end of the day the citizens of this community want to move in the same direction — forward. Forward toward a stronger future not just for themselves, but for those that will come after them. And if the Y can play a role in that, alongside our amazing community partners, then we’ve done our job.”
The renovations are a part of the Greater Richmond YMCA’s “For All, For Good” campaign, that aims at upgrading several YMCA facilities around the Richmond area.
