MIDLAND, Texas — On Wednesday, the YMCA of Midland broke ground on its second, and brand new location in northwest Midland. This marks the start of a project that's expected to be completed by the fall of 2025.
Dozens of donors, community members and leaders of the nonprofit organization put the shovels to the ground.
"Several years ago, there was brainstorming and there was a vision to be able to do more for Midland to meet childcare needs, to meet the needs of our senior citizens, to meet the needs of families, a place for families to come together," said Beth Ryan, a board member of the YMCA of Midland. "So the idea was to put in a location where our city is growing and where the needs are and that's where it started. It started with some ideas and a vision and a lot of prayer."
The 25-acre property is home to a 12,000 square foot facility the organization is looking to renovate.
According to Dean Snidow, the chairman of the Board of Directors for YMCA Midland, the current plans are to revamp the building for it to include a large multipurpose room, additional rooms for after school programming and an exercise room.
Snidow also said the second location will free up nearly 100 spots at the downtown location for children in greater Midland.
A spokesperson for YMCA of Midland said the organization is encouraging people to get on the waitlist for childcare services.
"Ages zero to four is a growing population and they continue to grow. So that's what we're hoping to address if this facility is going to get into that school age," Snidow said. "We can't handle that demand by ourselves, but we can certainly help out the community by providing a safe, stable environment."
According to Ryan, the project will be completed in phases and the first one not only includes renovations to the facility, but getting the road safety and access points in place.
The YMCA of Midland spokesperson told NewsWest 9 that the northwest location will have two access points. The main entrance and exit will be off of Avalon Dr. There will also be a secondary entrance near Mockingbird Lane.
On Wednesday, the YMCA of Midland sent out a letter to community members who live near its northwest location.
Below is a portion of the letter that addresses road safety concerns that have been voiced by some community members:
"We're excited to inform you that the YMCA will be enhancing Avalon Road along our fence line and fulfilling our promise to upgrade the road to a two-lane collector road with a turning lane. At present, we don't have a fixed timeline for the completion of the remaining stretch of Avalon. However, we're pleased to share that the City of Midland has engaged an engineering firm to undertake the design work for Avalon extending from Briarwood to the north. We continue to strongly advocate for improvements to the surrounding infrastructure. We're thrilled to share plans are underway for a traffic light at the Briarwood and Avalon intersection, along with the establishment of a school zone to manage speed during peak traffic hours. Additionally, city officials have confirmed a reduction in the speed limit on Briarwood leading to 158. These developments underscore our commitment to enhancing the safety and accessibility of our community's roadways, ensuring a smoother and more efficient travel experience for all." - YMCA of Midland.
According to the YMCA of Midland, the organization will also be conducting a community needs assessment to help create the master plan for the remaining acreage of the property.