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TERRI D. REEVESThe nearly 40-year-old workout center gets a makeover, from the gymnasium to the men's and women's steam rooms.
CLEARWATER - The Clearwater Branch YMCA received an extreme makeover and judging from comments, the $3.7-million operation was a success.
"It's gorgeous. I give it an 11 on the scale of 10," said handball player Mike Mitchell, 69, of Dunedin, a member for about 40 years.
Cherry Putulin, 35, says she drives 30 to 40 minutes from Tarpon Springs to use the indoor pool and racquetball courts.
"This is a great pool and the new courts are awesome," she said as she swam laps in the renovated pool.
Maribel Graczyk, 7, said she loves the new indoor kids gym, a two-story climbing structure decked out in primary colors.
"It has a lot of tubes that are really fun to slide through," she said.
The 60,000-square-foot structure at 1005 S Highland Ave. was built in 1966.
"At the time it was the largest one-story (YMCA) facility in the nation," said Mandy Griffith, spokesperson for the nonprofit YMCA of the Suncoast, which has 10 branches in Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties.
The renovation, which included a complete interior facelift and some fixes to the exterior, began in late 2002 and was completed in stages, so ongoing programs could continue during the renovation for the facility's approximately 5,000 members.
Fleischman Garcia Architecture of Tampa provided the design and Peter Brown Construction of Clearwater did the remodeling. The Eckerd Family Foundation gave a $1-million matching grant, while other funds were raised from the community.
The renovated gymnasium scored big with Tim Riley, 46, of Clearwater who liked the new lights, hoops, and suspended hardwood floor.
"Moisture would build up on the older tile floor and it would get slippery but this is just great. It's a beautiful court and the floors are much easier on the legs and knees," he said.
Griffith said the new facility has features that distinguish it from other branches of the YMCA of the Suncoast: a chapel, a Junior-Olympic-sized pool, handball and racquetball courts, and men's and women's steam rooms, saunas and whirlpools, all of which have been refurbished.
"Each facility is unique in that we try to cater to the needs of the community," she said.
One of the new programs is the teen center where young people can hang out, use computers, watch TV and play pingpong and foosball.
"It's a safe place after school," Griffith said. "We also teach them to be responsible leaders in the community."
The locker rooms are all new and feature a family and special needs room with a diaper-changing table, a shower and sink. Outside, the sports field area was regraded, sodded and landscaped. An outdoor children's playground valued at $50,000 was built in one day with 150 volunteers from Home Depot, the YMCA, and KaBOOM!, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization.
The Wellness Center fitness room was moved to a larger area and 41 new pieces of cardio, strength and free-weight equipment were added.
Laura Katkoot, 18, of Clearwater was working up a sweat on the equipment. She said she has lost 10 pounds since she joined a month ago.
"My goal is to lose 50 pounds," she said.
Griffith stressed that the YMCA is about more than losing weight.
"It's about gaining friendships, values and leadership skills," she said. She added that no one is ever turned away if they are unable to pay the membership fee.
A Family Expo day will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 6. It will include arts and crafts activities, free group exercise and youth dance classes and gifts for the first 100 families. Call (727) 461-9622 for more information.