The three-phase renovation of the Owensboro YMCA campus still hasn’t begun since it was publicly unveiled last April.
“There was nothing ever completed in any of the phases at this particular point,” said John C. Alexander, president and CEO. “Given the circumstances, we’re still looking at options and opportunities, but the current COVID-19 crisis has certainly changed our direction and halted everything, at least for right now.”
Alexander, who was hired several months after the project was publicly announced, said the planning phase never took off because the YMCA wasn’t able to acquire the funds in addition to COVID-19 freezing fundraising.
YMCA officials had planned to sell 22 acres of land on New Hartford Road — property that was donated 20 years ago — to put toward the project.
“The sale of the 22 acres was supposed to be starting funds for the project but it never developed,” Alexander said. “It’s an unfortunate circumstance but the plans were also going to be contingent on fundraising, and that has obviously come to a grinding halt at this time.”
The YMCA is still trying to liquidate that property but it hasn’t generated a great deal of interest since it was put on the market, Alexander said. So, those plans have been modified, changed and re-dreamed.
YMCA Chief Volunteer Officer Lynn Holland, who made the announcement for the renovations last year, said at the time that he expected Phases I and II to be completed by January 2020.
The first phase was to give the lobby a facelift and the second phase involved taking out two of four locker rooms and converting nearly 2,600 square feet of space into performance rooms, which was supposed to be used for classes offered at the permanently closed YMCA’s second campus.
The Owensboro Family YMCA board of directors made the decision to permanently close the Athenian branch, which was located at 650 Chuck Gray Court, in December 2019 as a cost-cutting measure.
The move was done to consolidate the YMCA’s operations and has forced it to operate more efficiently without the additional renovations.
“We’ve just not seen success yet with the planning process,” Alexander said. “The board is continuing to look at options. Right now we’re not sure how long we’re going to be closed, so we’re just trying to hold the fort if you will until we can reopen.”
