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Ashland YMCA will break ground Monday morning for new addition By TONY BOOM ASHLAND - Althea Davis, 21/2 years old, will have more room to play and her mom, Shawn, will have more fitness equipment and a "sprung" aerobics floor when the final addition to Ashland's YMCA is finished late next year. Groundbreaking is Monday at 9:30 a.m. "It's going to have a lot better floor for aerobics," said Davis. "The sprung floor means less danger to knees and thighs." Davis, a Talent resident, likes the convenience of the Y's Child Watch program that allows her to leave Althea in the child development center for 90 minutes while she works out. Expansion work started three weeks ago. The addition will meet the demands of an organization whose membership has grown from 2,000 to more than 5,000 in little more than two years. The increase is credited to the addition of the Meese Aquatic Center, which opened in 1998. "Rather than just adding new programs, we are spreading out what we have," said Lisa Molnar, executive director. "We are so compact now." "It's quite crowded at times. It's hard to get a machine, especially a cardio machine," said Carol Fox of Ashland during a workout Friday. "They are kind of close together, too." "We desperately need the space with the addition of the pool," said Diana Spence, Ashland, who was using fitness equipment. "That brought more people to the rest of the fitness center." The building opened in 1990 with 14,000 square feet. A new gym in 1992 added 14,000 square feet. The pool addition added 28,000 square feet, and the latest expansion will total 18,000 square feet. Adroit Construction Co. of Ashland is the contractor. Adroit also built the pool and gym. A 94-by-68-foot multipurpose room, a resource and learning center, new offices, expanded lobby and fitness areas will be incorporated in the addition. It also will include an elevator. City regulations limit the structure to a 45,000-square-foot footprint. The addition will put the YMCA at the limit. The agency could elect to build up at a later date, but Molnar said that is unlikely. Local donations and grants are expected to finance the $1.6 million cost of construction. Twenty YMCA board members pledged $320,000. A community campaign exceeded its $300,000 goal by $71,000. Grants total $325,000 so far. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave $200,000, Jeld Wen Foundation of Klamath Falls gave $75,000 and the Collins Foundation of Portland gave $50,000. Grant applications have been submitted to other Oregon foundations. Volunteers raised the $371,000 in four weeks during May's community campaign. They solicited pledges from friends and people they come in contact with. They have raised $1,016,000 in grants and donations with $584,000 left to go. Other grants are pending. "We have 80 people on the committee. Everyone is responsible for raising so much money," said board member Diane McKelvey. "It's quick and it gets done. People really saw the need also." While some programs will spread out, new offerings are planned by John Souza, community programs director. They include a teen area and more teen programs and a family center with parenting programs. Current programs in CPR, first aid, nutrition, weight management and other topics that are limited now by available space will be expanded. The extra room will also allow for additional participants in the child care and preschool programs. Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.