Lysander (WSYR-TV) -- It’s been more than a decade in the works and there have been multiple hurdles along the way, but it looks like the YMCA may finally have the home it’s been looking for in the Baldwinsville area. Friends of the Y announced the plan to build the northwest family YMCA along River Road in Lysander.
50 acres of land has been donated to the Y at no cost.
“We want to be able to build a Y and we want to be able to build a Y that can expand. We’re building a building that’s going to be there for at least a hundred years. It’s going to serve the community, it’s going to serve generations of children and family, so we really needed a place where we could grow,” said Cindy Dowd-Greene, YMCA Baldwinsville Board of Managers.
But before an empty field can be turned into a Y, they need to get government approvals to build there. They also need to raise another $2-million to construct the building.
“Now that we’ve selected a site we’ve had people call us already and say, “Okay, we’re ready to talk,” and so we’re really working hard to get that money in,” Dowd-Greene said.
While final plans are not set, the east area Y in Fayetteville seems to be a model they would like to try and follow in Baldwinsville. They’ve gotten to this point before, but Dowd-Greene says this is the best proposal they’ve had so far.
They’re not putting a date on groundbreaking until all the approvals are done and the money is raised. However, they can say it will take about a year to 18 months once the first shovel does go into the ground.
