From Staff Reports

With the donation of land by several generous families, the YMCA finally has the opportunity to pursue building a new facility to replace the old Grist YMCA.

The plans are to build a 39,000 square foot facility family center which will be located near Vaughan Regional on Medical Center Parkway.

The decision didn’t come lightly. The YMCA conducted an assessment to determine the greatest needs for families and what they would like to see in the YMCA in the future.

A thorough assessment of the Grist facility was also conducted to determine the feasibility of a major renovation.

The findings showed renovating the facility would not be economically feasible and, even with a renovation, the facility would still not meet the changing needs of today’s youth and families.

Over 1,200 families throughout Dallas County expressed interested in joining a new family YMCA center.

The new facility will continue the YMCA’s good work in Selma.

Since 1858, the YMCA of Selma has had a long and rich history of service in the community providing programs that help people of all ages and backgrounds grow in spirit, mind and body.

The YMCA is now calling on the support of the community to reinvest in the YMCA to ensure its vital programs and services continue into the future.

The Grist YMCA opened its doors on Broad Street in 1925 and, in recent years, has begun to face many challenges with the aging facility.

Significant resources are being used for repairs which could be used to serve more youth and families.

With the decline in the Grist facility and the resulting decline in membership, the entire YMCA, including the Claude C. Brown YMCA, Camp Grist YMCA and the many outreach locations are at risk of not having the needed infrastructure and support to continue operating.

The new YMCA facility

will include the following features focusing on programming for youth, teens families and active older adults:

Indoor Aquatic Center

Outdoor Family Courtyard and Spray Park

Gymnasium

Nursery / Child Care Center

Teen & Senior Center

Computer Lab & Tutoring Center

Family Resource Center

Community Meeting Room & Catering Kitchen

State-of-the-art Wellness Center

Aerobics & Dance Studio

Family & Special Needs Locker Rooms with Steam

Chapel – Named to honor Paul M. Grist

YMCA membership will be available on a sliding-scale fee, so programs are affordable for all.