BELLVILLE — Cristen Gilbert said the $22 million, 100,000-square foot YMCA sports complex was starting to feel real at Wednesday’s groundbreaking.
“This has been a conversation we’ve been having for three years,” she said. “I don’t think I reflect enough on how happy I am to see not just the Y as an organization grow, but the opportunities it will offer people.”
The YMCA of North Central Ohio hosted a groundbreaking on Kochheiser Road in Bellville on Wednesday with local leaders and board members.
“We truly serve everybody from cradle to grave,” said Gilbert, CEO of the local YMCA programs including Mansfield, Shelby and the childcare programs.
“Regardless of your ability to pay, you will be able to participate in quality programs that will change your life.
“We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without the beautiful land that we’re standing on given to us by the late Jim Gorman,” she said.
Gorman donated 35 acres of land near the intersection of Interstate 71 and Ohio 97 to the YMCA when the board began looking for land for its third branch in Richland County.
Gorman’s father bought the land for him while he was serving in the Air Force in World War II. It was a potato farm until the state and U.S. government built Interstate 71, but the land remained in the family.
“The YMCA came to us, and we said, ‘Well, in addition to the city of Bellville being so nice to us, the whole community has been very supportive of the Gorman-Rupp Company,” Gorman said in a video shown at the groundbreaking.
“The Y needed the acreage and we had it, so we decided to donate it to them.”
Gilbert said she wants to plan an annual “spud tournament” among food trucks in honor of the late Gorman’s donation.
Olympian Dante Washington a consultant on sports center project
Gilbert said the YMCA board hopes to open the facility by the end of next year. She said she expects to hire 100 employees at the facility.
The $22 million complex will provide traditional YMCA programming with indoor and outdoor athletic fields, basketball, volleyball, pickleball, an indoor track and an outdoor walking trail.
Soccer will be a big focus for the new site, offering indoor opportunities during the winter months.
“It’s not just another facility, it’s a state-of-the-art sports complex that combines our YMCA programming and fitness with a diverse range of activities that cater to all ages and fitness levels,” Gilbert said.
The new Y branch will primarily serve Richland County and parts of Ashland, Crawford and Morrow counties.
The YMCA hired Olympian Dante Washington as a sports consultant for the planned soccer facilities.
Washington, who played for the Columbus Crew and the U.S. national team, is helping to oversee the planning, development and operations of the complex, as well as the soccer programming and partnerships.
“Once you have the facility space, that makes all the difference,” he said. “When you have an indoor space, that gives more kids the opportunity to practice locally instead of going to Cleveland or Columbus.
“Kids pay more attention when they can access local opportunities like this. Having a complex like this adds great potential for tournaments, leagues and games,” Washington said.
Mansfield resident Jack Miller, a retired competitive golfer, spoke of his excitement for the new YMCA in a video.
“I think it’s great because my grandson is in soccer and he had to go to Cleveland to play in the winter,” he said.
“I think it’s important to support the kids of this community because it gives them something to do, it gives them a goal,” Miller said.
Architect Todd Wrobleski designed the building and Adena Corporation is the general contractor.
YMCA seeking public donations for sports center
The YMCA’s capital campaign has raised $9 million after a recent $500,000 gift from the Milliron Foundation and additional donations from John and Katherine Fernyak, Ted and Heidi Sazdanoff, Park National Bank, Mechanics Bank and other donors.
The campaign operates in stages, with a financial goal of $12 million by the end of June and a goal of $15 million by the end of 2024.
Chriss Harris, project funding director and former YMCA board member, thanked all the donors.
“We’ve taken on this project for the children of our community,” she said. “All of the children, not just those involved in soccer, not just those who can afford fees, but all of them.
“Contributions to this project are needed at any level. We’d like to raise $4 million from the public. Any gift from $10 to $2 million has been invaluable as we get our Y’s project started,” Harris said.
The public campaign is now underway, and the YMCA is seeking donations from individuals, businesses and organizations to help reach its target.
Gifts to the Y Sports Complex may be mailed to: YMCA Project, YMCA of NCO, 750 Scholl Road, Mansfield, 44907 or made online at www.ymcanco.org. More information, including a new animation video about the YMCA’s project, is also available online.
(Photos from the groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for the new sports complex.)
