Walton County YMCA construction right on track

Meredith Green, executive branch director for the Walton County YMCA, said progress is moving along at a rapid pace. Photo credit: Stephen Milligan | The Walton Tribune

Construction continues apace on the Walton County YMCA as workers push to have it ready by spring for a ready and eager public ready to see it complete.

Meredith Green, the executive branch director for the Walton County YMCA, said she was impressed with how the work is coming along.

“I am pleased with the progress,” Green said. “We’ve had a few delays, but we’re moving along as quickly as we can. We hope to be open by early March, but it’s definitely a spring opening at this rate.”

Right now, the building is mostly just an empty shell, though it’s easy to see where internal features such as offices and storage rooms will go. 

The central rotunda is already up, and the overall administrative building and fitness center portions of the YMCA are expected to be mostly done by January.

Photo credits: Stephen Milligan: The Walton Tribune

The pool space is farther away from completion, much of the space still mud and dirt, though the overall contours of the two pools — a competition-length pool that will be 25 yards long and nine feet deep at its maximum, and a family pool that will only be four feet deep at its lowest point — are already taking shape.

Green said that area could be done by mid-February or early March, though there’s plenty of other tasks to see completed before the YMCA can open.

“There’s a lot to do,” Green said. “We have to bring in equipment for the fitness center. There’s a lot of internal work to do. And we’ll be writing Bible verses on the walls. That’s a big priority we can’t do until towards the end of the process.”

Green said the two biggest priorities on the administrative end are continued fund-raising efforts and staffing.

Green said the YMCA is still accepting donations for its Donor’s Wall until the end of December. Donors contributing before then will have their names added to the wall in the front entrance area. Green said there are several naming opportunities still available, too, with various rooms and areas that can bear a donor’s name who contributes enough for the privilege.

“People have until the end of the year for those,” Green said.

The YMCA is also starting to look for staff members, particularly lifeguards, who will be in high demand for the pool once it opens to the public next spring.

“We definitely need as many lifeguards as we can get,” Green said.

Even after the YMCA open, Green said there are future plans to consider. With 38 acres to work with, Green said there are already hopes for expansion down the line, adding such amenities as a children’s playground, pickleball courts and, eventually, an outdoor pool to complement the two indoor pools currently under construction.

“We have room to expand,” Green said.

For now, though, Green is ready to see the initial YMCA plans come to fruition and finally open to the public.

“I’ve been real pleased with how excited everyone I talk to is for the YMCA to open here,” Green said. “This will be big focal point for the community. I can’t wait to get started.”