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YMCA's expansion could double members
By Michele Leung
The Northwest YMCA unveiled its $3 million plan to build an indoor pool and expand its aerobics room at a community meeting on Aug. 31. The project is expected to break ground in December for a July 2000 grand opening.
Althougth the expansion is not necessary to accommodate the YMCA's existing programs, it will address the community's needs, said Liz Gallegos, executive director of the Northwest YMCA.
"People were asking us, 'Where's your pool?' and 'Do you have this program or that program?' " she said. "This is the recognition that we need to accommodate existing members and new members."
The Northwest YMCA does not have a pool, and use of the aerobics room is divided between those who use the workout machines and those who attend fitness classes.
The aerobics room will expand by 2,000 square feet to create a studio for group exercise classes while maintaining an area for workout machines.
The indoor warm-water pool--which will feature a slide and a mushroom waterfall--is the centerpiece of the new 6,000-square-foot Lowenthal Family Aquatic Center. The aquatic center will be used to hold year-round swimming classes as well as teen and family nights.
A pool deck is included for parents to stay on dry ground while watching their children in the water. Also, the pool design will allow both recreational and lap swimming.
Owing to safety issues, the YMCA chose not include a diving board, said Sal Portaro, YMCA's director of properties.
One concern about the pool's design is the temperature of the water. The YMCA plans to heat the pool to 85 degrees, which is generally too warm for hard-core lap swimmers--serious swimmers prefer colder water, Portaro said.
Avid swimmer Molly Hastings is pleased with the addition of the pool, but says she won't be swimming in it because the temperature will be too warm for her. "I won't use it for lap swimming," she added.
However, pools for lap swimming already exist in the community, and organizers did not want to duplicate services.
The center is stressing its family-friendly activities throughout the expansion project. The aerobics studio will be used as a multipurpose room for family-oriented programs.
The YMCA is $71,000 short of its $1.5 million goal to underwrite the project. The expansion will also be financed through borrowed money, Portaro said.
Three major backers of the expansion are Richard Lowenthal, the Eric Thorsen Estate and the Y Service Club. Lowenthal--a longtime fundraiser at the corporate YMCA and a candidate for the Cupertino City Council--and the Thorsen Estate have both given the YMCA's capital campaign sizable gifts. The Y Service Club raised $100,000 by wrapping gifts during various holidays at Vallco Fashion Park.
"The family was a major donor," said Darryl Stow, a past Northwest YMCA board chair. "The contribution put us over the top. They made a huge difference."
The expansion is expected to more than double the Northwest YMCA's membership. The center now serves approximately 1,000 members in Cupertino and Sunnyvale.
Gallegos is projecting approximately 1,200 new members in the next two years.
To compensate for the growth, the YMCA will hire more program directors and fitness staff, and will add more bicycle racks and 42 new parking spaces.
A bittersweet concern for the center's staff is their desire for the YMCA's expansion, but it is tinged with concern that extra traffic will change the neighborhood feel of the area.
"We work very hard to be good neighbors," Gallegos said. She hopes that if her staff works on knowing members by name, the YMCA might still retain its small-town touch, even if the membership doubles.
Hastings shares the staff's concern: "[The Northwest YMCA] is really an undiscovered gem, so I'm scared it's going to change. But I'm glad for the YMCA that they're doing the expansion."
Despite potential growing pains, both YMCA members and staff are looking forward to the opening next summer. "I think the group reflected the excitement we all have," Stow said. "This pool is a unique family pool, and we hope it's well used."
Expansion of the YMCA has been in development since 1991.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
