Construction on a highly-anticipated, new YMCA in southeast San Diego will hit a milestone Wednesday as the first wall panels of the building go up.
At around 7 a.m., crews will begin raising the panels, marking the official “tilt up” of the 56,000-square-foot Jackie Robinson Family YMCA located at 151 YMCA Way. The Y has been serving southeast San Diego on that same plot of land since 1943. With the new building, the YMCA hopes to serve even more local families for generations to come.
The groundbreaking for the new facility was in late May 2016. It is expected to open to families later this year, perhaps as early as August.
The facility will include a new baseball and tee-ball field, and gymnasium boasting two basketball courts. Also in the works: a state-of-the-art fitness and wellness center; community multi-purpose room; child watch and kid’s center; intergenerational program space, teen/technology center; two multi-purpose group exercise studios; cycling studio; mind and body exercise studio; a member lounge and more.
The project has been long in the works, with the Y already raising $26 million for the construction of the facility.
Residents say they welcome the project, and hope the YMCA will be a positive outlet for children and families in a community that is often underserved.
"I think it's the beginning of something great," resident Rodney Aguillard told NBC 7. "It's going to give our children something to look forward to in the future, if they choose to go to the Y, which a lot of them do. It'll keep them off the streets."
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To learn more about the Jackie Robinson Family YMCA, click here.
