YMCA opens in Wesley Chapel

The YMCA is getting settled in Union County.

After operating only a storefront YMCA in Weddington for more than 20 years, the YMCA moved that facility to a larger location in Wesley Chapel in early November and plans to build a full-service family YMCA and supporting facilities around northwestern Union County.

Steve Bowers, community vice president for the Union County YMCA at Wesley Chapel, said it could look like the cluster of YMCA facilities in South Charlotte that includes the Siskey and Morrison Ys and the Hemby Center.

"In market studies, northwestern Union County showed up very receptive and one of the markets, even nationally, that wants to have a YMCA in the community," Bowers said.

A plan for a Union County YMCA was first conceived about five years ago, Bowers said. But the 2008 recession slowed progress, and officials waited until last year to move forward.

The new 5,000-square-foot facility in Wesley Chapel has a fitness center with state-of-the-art equipment and free weights. It soon will offer Pilates and strength and conditioning group-exercise classes.

YMCA leaders also are looking for a site for a full-service family facility, the first in Union County.

"Our number one priority for a while now has been to find a suitable site and raise the funds" for a family YMCA, said Bailey Patrick, a member of the YMCA board of directors.

"We feel there's a tremendous population that would benefit from a full-service Y, and we would love to serve that population."

The YMCA also is in talks with Union County Public Schools about a long-term lease on 14 acres on the Cuthbertson schools site.

The school site was designed to hold two elementary schools, but the second one likely won't be built, Bowers said.

Bowers said the YMCA tends to build in a "hub-and-spokes" pattern, and leaders haven't decided where the Union County hub will be.

When the site is chosen, the Y will begin a fundraising campaign, Patrick said.

Now in a "quiet" fundraising phase, the Union County Y already has received $2 million from philanthropist and businessman Tommy Hall.

The size of the family Y has not been determined, but a typical "starter Y" is 40,000-50,000 square feet with an indoor pool, large exercise area, a large child-care area and basketball gyms, Bowers said.

The Union County YMCA is open to all metro YMCA members, Bowers said.

About 200 "units of membership" have joined the new Y in Wesley Chapel, bringing the total membership there to 500.

"If you have a Harris membership or Morrison membership, you can come down and use the Wesley Chapel location," Bowers said. "We have a lot of folks from the Siskey who use that as their workout center because it's closer to their house."

Bowers said Y leaders hope to announce the site of the family facility in three to six months and begin building a facility in two or three years.

"We've been in the public a lot, and we've gotten a warm response from everybody down there," Bowers said.

"Everybody wants it as close to their house as possible."