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“Y” Campaign surpasses $3 million mark

Last Updated on January 16, 2019 by cassnetwork

The Cass County Family YMCA recently surpassed the $3 million mark in pledges on their way to the $3.5 million capital campaign goal. The Y announced “The Next 50 Years” campaign last year with an initial gift of $1 million from the Milt and Jean Cole Family. Since then, twenty-eight other companies, organizations, individuals, families and the City of Logansport have pledged more than $2 million to the campaign.

Plans include transforming currently underutilized spaces inside the Y into mult-purpose spaces that would include more classroom space and another smaller, multi-functional gymnasium space. A youth activity center would be added off the main gymnasium, along with a remodeled child watch area. The cardiovascular center and weight machine area would be upgraded, along with relocating and expanding the free weight equipment to the lower level to eliminate the noise associated with the dropping of weights that now occurs. Private dressing and shower areas for individuals and families will be constructed in the areas now occupied by the girls and boys locker rooms on the main level. In addition to the convenience for families, the locker room change will also allow those who cannot reach the men’s and women’s locker rooms on the lower level to have access to private locker room space on the main level. THe main entrance will be moved a little to the east and the lobby area will be larger, with an improved registration and check-in area. Exterior improvements will include resurfacing the parking lots, landscaping buffers and an improved appearance along the Broadway side of the YMCA, with 2-story windows along the east half of the facility.

Capital Campaign chairman Brian Morrill is pleased with where the campaign is at this point.

“We have been blessed with some wonderful gifts by people who recognize the importance of having a strong YMCA in our county. The Next 50 Years” is about ensuring that the Y serves future generations in the Logansport and Cass County community,” Morrill said. “We need to improve and re-imagine what others worked so hard to build and sustain over the first 50 years.”

He said that the campaign volunteers have mostly been working behind the scenes, lining up support from businesses and individuals who have been supportive and generous to the Y over the years.

“As we move into the home stretch of the campaign, we will reach out to the community and ask for their support. Every gift, no matter how large or small, will be important for the Y to reach its goal,” Morrill said.

Derreck Parkevich, the YMCA Executive Director, said the Y Board of Directors is working with an architect in Lafayette and that preliminary renderings indicate a campaign of $3.5 million will be needed to complete the desired improvements. If the campaign total grows to $3.2 to $3.3 million in the next couple of months, the architect will prepare the project for contractor bids. It is hoped that some of the construction improvements can be started in the last half of 2019, according to Parkevich.
“We will need to do some of this work in phases, in order to provide the least amount of inconvenience as possible for our members,” Parkevich said. “It will be a huge improvement when it is all finished. Something our community can be very proud of.”

SOURCE: News release from Cass County Family YMCA

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