‘Game changer’: Toyota Indiana YMCA opening in Princeton
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Toyota Indiana YMCA of Gibson County will welcome members for the first time this week in Princeton. The ribbon cutting at 215 W. Water St. is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Thursday. An open house will follow from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., with the facility remaining open until 8 p.m. Regular hours will begin on Friday.
“Proud of the community for coming together and working together and putting all this together for us. It’s a good thing for Gibson County. It’s a good thing for everyone, young and old alike,” said Jim McDonald, Toyota Indiana YMCA board president.
The $22 million project is the culmination of an idea that’s been circulating in the community for years. The goal of the facility affiliated with the YMCA of Southwestern Indiana in Evansville is to provide the community a “third place” accessible to all to learn, grow and thrive.
“This is a game changer for our little community, something we’ve always dreamed of having. It’s going to open up a lot of things on so many different levels,” Princeton Mayor Greg Wright said. “We want to make Princeton a place to live. And the quality of life aspect that the YMCA is going to bring checks that box.”
‘Several things lined up perfectly’
Many decades ago, a group tried to build momentum for a YMCA in Gibson County, but the initiative failed. When the idea was resurrected in recent years, YMCA officials requested a community study to verify support for the recreational facility.
“We went out and pounded the streets, and we raised $25,000 to hire a firm out of Atlanta to do a study,” said McDonald. “That took maybe six months to a year to get that done. Once we had that to show that Gibson County would support a YMCA, then the YMCA came to the table.”
After North Gibson School Corp. donated the Lowell Elementary School property for the project, and Toyota Indiana invested $1 million and secured naming rights, the concept moved closer to fruition.
“Once we got [Toyota Indiana’s] commitment, a lot of other donors started coming forward, and a lot of other industry leaders started coming forward with donations and buy-ins. And it took off after that,” McDonald said.
Other funding sources for the YMCA in Princeton included a $5 million READI award and money from the Gibson County Redevelopment Commission.
“Timing-wise, on the funding, we had local tax increment financing that was created 25 years ago, and we were able to capture some of that money. So several things lined up perfectly for this to happen,” said Wright.
Facility features
According to McDonald, the $13.2 million from TIF helped finance one of Toyota Indiana YMCA’s main attractions: the pool.
“Gibson County only has one public pool in the county. That pool is only open for June, July and part of August, and it’s located in Princeton,” McDonald said. “People were interested in having an indoor pool facility not only for kids but for adults and seniors.”
The facility also features a wellness area, gym, lounge, kitchen and STEM lab as well as exercise classes, locker rooms, community rooms and child care.
“If you’re wanting to go work out, you can check your kid into the child watch area if he or she’s over two weeks old. And they’ll watch your child while you’re working out or participating in sports activities,” said Wright.
Monthly memberships range from $26 to $79, with corporate, active military and veteran and pastoral memberships available. The Y also offers college student discounts and financial assistance.
“These memberships are designed to make the YMCA accessible to a wide range of individuals and families by offering added flexibility and affordability,” according to the website.
Six full-time employees and 67 part-time workers have positions at the facility. During construction, the project created nearly 90 jobs.
“A lot of subcontractors from all around our tri-state area. A lot of folks who were traveling, doing different things from concrete to tile work. Electricians, plumbers, pipe fitters, metal workers, painters, all those things,” said Wright.
Community benefits
The pool at Toyota Indiana YMCA has inspired area schools and colleges to get serious about swimming.
McDonald said Oakland City University donated $1 million to the project with plans to offer scholarships, develop a swim team and host meets at the facility. North Gibson School Corp. is looking to hire a swim and dive coach because local public school swim programs can use the pool. Plus, children who swim competitively at the outdoor Ppool in the summer can train more than three months out of the year.
“They’re competing with other kids and other communities that can swim year-round, and it makes a difference,” said McDonald. “I think those kids will be lining up at the Y to swim.”
McDonald said the facility is large enough to rent space to community partners like ProRehab, a physical and occupational therapy clinic.
“ProRehab will bring their patients in and help with rehab, whether it be a treadmill, bicycle, weights and maybe pool aerobics,” McDonald said. “Instead of going to Evansville, we’ll have a rehab facility here with tools to help people.”
Wright mentioned senior citizens living in a nearby apartment complex can walk to the Y for exercise and social interaction.
“The Y will be a target and a destination for those folks, and that’s going to change things,” said Wright. “Even 60-year-old men like me who still want to think they can shoot basketball, we’re excited about it.”
Wright is also passionate about giving the community’s youth a place to gather, especially those who are struggling with issues.
“They have school, and maybe they’re not the best in school. They have a home, and the home life’s not good at all. Then that third place, the YMCA, we think will get a lot of these kids out of that cycle,” said Wright.