SOUTH BEND — The YMCA of Better Michiana plans to open a brand new campus in downtown South Bend in a health heart at the moment run by a hospital system.
Whereas sustaining its operations on the O’Brien Heart on the town’s south facet, the YMCA plans to maneuver into the third and fourth flooring of the Memorial Leighton Healthplex, at 111 W. Jefferson Blvd., simply throughout Principal Avenue from the St. Joseph County Courthouse. The YMCA would take over the health heart run by Beacon Well being System, a neighborhood hospital system that may permit its members to shift over to the YMCA with none charges.
YMCA members might start to make use of the ability in June, quickly after Beacon moved out by Might 31. The deal is to go earlier than the South Bend Redevelopment Fee for approval in its assembly Thursday.
Town of South Bend took possession of the Jefferson Boulevard website in late March as a part of a multi-million greenback growth deal involving Beacon. The hospital system will retain the primary ground of the constructing on the lot’s south facet for its bodily rehabilitation packages and workplace area till the tip of 2025, when it plans to maneuver them to the increasing Memorial Hospital campus.
The YMCA will signal an eight-year, rent-free lease with the town to make use of the health heart. In trade, the YMCA will donate its previous constructing at 1201 Northside Blvd. to the town. Caleb Bauer, govt director of South Bend’s Division of Group Funding, instructed The Tribune the town plans to demolish that website and pursue eventual redevelopment.
In-built 1964, the previous constructing features a swimming pool, locker rooms with showers, a full fitness center, racquetball courts, health rooms and different areas for little one care and academic programming. It is sat vacant because it closed in Might 2020, months after the South Bend Y merged with the YMCA of Southwest Michigan and moved its native operations into the O’Brien Heart.
Along with weight coaching and cardio tools, plans for the brand new area downtown embrace a basketball court docket, racquetball court docket, indoor observe, lap pool, and aquatic and health courses. Beacon is donating a lot of its tools to the YMCA.
“Our new downtown South Bend location continues the over 140-year legacy of the Y on this area,” Andre Gammage, a member of the YMCA’s Board of Administrators and a St. Joseph County Justice of the Peace choose, stated in a press launch.
The YMCA plans to signal a brand new three-year settlement with South Bend Venues, Parks and Arts to stay within the O’Brien Heart, its health heart at 321 E. Walter St.
“We’re actually grateful for the YMCA serving to to protect a downtown health location,” Bauer stated. “We’re excited to work with the YMCA and actually proceed the partnership we have had with them on the O’Brien Heart, however increase on that partnership within the downtown space.”
E-mail South Bend Tribune metropolis reporter Jordan Smith at [email protected]. Comply with him on X: @jordantsmith09