The YMCA of the Palm Beaches is advancing its plans for a new community center with a recent groundbreaking on December 12 for a 55,000-square-foot complex adjacent to the Lake Lytal aquatics center, at 3645 Gun Club Road, in West Palm Beach. Timothy Leuitte, board chairman of the YMCA of the Palm Beaches, indicated that construction is set to begin soon on the site. This project is a result of a private-public partnership between the YMCA and Palm Beach County, with the $35 million facility being built on county-leased land and expected to open within 18 months.
The development also includes the reconstruction of the Lake Lytal aquatics complex by the county commissioners, a project now estimated to cost $46 million, including the YMCA facility. The YMCA will manage the complex for the aquatics center once it is rebuilt. Additionally, the project features a 27,000-square-foot, Olympic-style skateboard park designed to host state and national competitions.
The new YMCA community center will include a Youth Engagement and Resource Center, focusing on mentoring underserved youth in Palm Beach County. It will offer traditional amenities like a gymnasium and a wellness center, along with unique features such as a recording studio and a robotics arena. Leuitte emphasized the center's role in providing workforce skills and job training for teens.
The YMCA of the Palm Beaches currently manages workout areas at Palm Beach State College campuses and the Gleneagles Aquatic Center, offering various group classes. The new community center is part of a 50-year lease agreement with Palm Beach County for about five acres in Lake Lytal Park. This campus will feature health and fitness facilities, an aquatics center, a community gathering place, the skate park, and a high-tech teen center. Construction is slated in phases, with the aquatics, skate park, community center, and health & fitness facilities expected by 2024, and the indoor gymnasium and child-care center by 2025.
YMCA and Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department will fund the facilities and infrastructure improvements independently. Tim Coffield, CEO of YMCA of the Palm Beaches, and Eric Call, director of Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department, both expressed excitement about this collaborative project's potential to benefit the community. Additionally, the YMCA will take over the operational management of the aquatic facility within two years of its completion, projected to reduce operational expenses for Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation.
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