The new YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka will be a centre of community, according its CEO Jill Tettmann.
That centre of community got a huge kickstart on Friday evening when Tettman, Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall and Y board chair Todd Young put pen to paper at the organization's fundraising gala where the City of Barrie and the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka signed a lease for a future location at 535 Bayview Drive.
Signing of lease agreement between the City of Barrie and the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka (l-r: Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall, Y Board Chair Todd Young, YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka CEO Jill Tettmann)
The new Y will be located in the northeast corner of what is currently a parking lot near Sadlon Arena.
“The YMCA is foundational in our community, and I’m proud that we’re able to provide them the opportunity to build their new Barrie location,” said Nuttall. “The value the YMCA brings is crucial to fostering healthy, vibrant and connected communities. I can’t wait to see the positive impact the new Barrie YMCA will make in our city.”
Tettmann said the Y is more than just about recreation.
"We no longer refer to it as a health, fitness and aquatics facility or gym and swim. It's a centre of community and we know having a YMCA in a community just helps support the community. It is intergenerational."
The new facility will provide the community with YMCA health and fitness services while also incorporating specialized programming, including a cardiac and cancer rehabilitation program in partnership with Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre and a 12-room housing program in partnership with Youth Haven - Simcoe County’s first standalone transitional housing unit for youth.
The cost of the project is just under $60 million. The Ontario government has committed $29.9 million to build the facility and those funds are available until the end of March 2027.
Tettmann added that the fundraising component https://100reasonsy.ca/ continues.
The terms of the lease will last for decades.
"The lease agreement is 50-plus years, probably 60 years with an extension," explained Tettmann.
It works out to $2 a year.
The goal is to begin construction in fall 2024.
Banner image L-R: Board chair Todd Young, John Laking, YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka CEO Jill Tettmann, former Barrie Mayor Janice Laking, Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall
