By Tamas Mondovics
Construction on a brand new Family YMCA, the first full service family Y in a decade, began this month in Riverview and, according to Y officials, is still on schedule with its planned first phase-completion by the end of 2014.
“We have just received our building permits and are now ready for construction to begin in the coming weeks,” said YMCA District Director Cindy Sofarelli.
Since its official groundbreaking ceremony in February, which saw close to 100 guests who praised the Y’s efforts to build a new facility, trees have been removed as heavy equipment cleared the ground at the 38-acre site of the new facility located adjacent to the athletic fields at Vance Vogel Park at 13010 Bullfrog Creek Rd.
Phase one of the project includes three multi-purpose fields, covered basketball court, playground, picnic pavilion, parking and drainage improvements.
Hillsborough County provided $2,000,000, toward the projects first phase under a joint-use lease agreement between the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners and the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA.
“This project is long overdue,” said YMCA Governance Board Chair Brett Couch, who thanked Hillsborough County and the Board of County Commissioners for their support.
The Y is responsible for the remaining $1,500,000 cost to complete phase one as well as for the cost and construction of phase two.
To date the Y has raised close to $6,000,000 toward the project. Depending on capital fundraising efforts, the entire facility is anticipated to be complete in the next three to five years.
When completed, the new facility will consist of a main family facility building, 30,000-square-foot aquatic center, multi-purpose fields, covered basketball court, picnic pavilion and playground.
The new facility is also promising of providing more than 125 jobs, while improving the quality of life for residents by creating a community hub that Y officials said “brings together diverse groups of people for a common good.”
“There is a lot of excitement in the growing Southern Hillsborough County community for a safe place to provide much-needed services to an underserved part of the county,” said Tampa Y Communications Director Lalita Llerena.
For more information about the Tampa YMCA visit, www.tampaymca.org.
