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After years of delays, YMCA will debut with a big splash
By RICK GERSHMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, TAMPA PALMS -- When lifting a weight during exercise, you're supposed to exhale. Officials carrying the weight of the New Tampa Family YMCA, however, have been waiting to exhale for a long time. So don't be surprised if you hear a collective sigh of relief Saturday when the New Tampa Family YMCA finally opens for business. Day One kicks off with a gala celebration that has been a long time coming. YMCA officials said in March 1996 that they hoped to break ground on a New Tampa facility by the end of that year. They were off by a full four-year presidential term. In December 2000, after years of permitting challenges, design changes and various administrative delays, work began on the site off Compton Drive. Debbie Metzger, director of the New Tampa Family YMCA, said the anticipation level is palpable. "The people are so excited that we're (about to) open and they have a Y here in their community," she said, listing the many schools and developments that will make use of the facility. "This is the place for all of those neighborhoods to come together." The grand opening begins with breakfast at 8:45 a.m., followed by a ribbon cutting at 9 a.m. An open house follows from 9:30 a.m. to noon, allowing everyone to tour the facility. Then the YMCA is truly and officially open. Live music will continue until 4 p.m. Regular hours will be 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday. The YMCA has sold about 300 individual and family memberships. While those numbers might seem unremarkable compared with the goal of 1,500 YMCA officials cited in January, Metzger said that's in keeping with other recent YMCA openings. Pre-sales were slow when the south Brandon area YMCA opened in March, she said, but that venue has since reached 2,400 memberships. "Once we open the doors and people can come in and see what we have, that's when it really gets going," she said. Memberships are $41 a month for individuals, plus a one-time $100 joining fee; or $60 a month for families, with a $125 joining fee. New Tampa residents who did purchase advance memberships enjoyed a sneak preview party last weekend and were able to use the facility this week. Except for a couple of finishing touches, everything inside the 41,700-square-foot building was up and running perfectly, Metzger said. Work continued on the pool deck this week, but the director was hopeful that would be completed by Saturday. The $6-million facility will include an Olympic-size pool, a gymnasium, fitness center, climbing wall, locker rooms, nursery, family game room, teen center, meeting room and chapel. A University Community Hospital wellness center will be added in about a month.
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