Ground has finally been broken on Walton County’s YMCA

After almost two decades of hopes and dreams, planning, organizing, fundraising and designing, today was finally the day. The ground has been broken on the long-awaited Walton County YMCA.

Members of the Walton County YMCA Campaign Leadership Council, public and school officials and members of the community gathered at the property off the connector between Charlotte Rowell Blvd. and Double Springs Church Road for the official Groundbreaking Ceremony at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022.

A YMCA for the Walton County community has long been an aspiration for the area. In fact, even before the recession of 2008 there were plans to build a YMCA in Monroe. But the downturn in the economy put a spoke in that wheel and held it off for more than a decade. While the plan was to get shovels into the ground by January this year, COVID-19, supply chain issues and increases in the cost of supplies have had an impact on that date, but the project is now finally officially under way.

The 38-acre property was donated several years ago by the Rowell family and with $11 million of the $13 million required to complete the project already raised, the building of the facility is set to begin. It will include a pool that will enable local high school swim teams to practice and host swim meets instead of always having to travel in order to do so.

A Christian organization at its foundation, at the heart of every YMCA program is the health and wellness of the community and the exercise and fitness that goes along with it as well as recreation and sports.

You can read more about the ceremony and plans for the YMCA in this weekend’s edition of the Walton Tribune.