Healthy Start for YMCA Nourishes $1.3 Million Addition

By Ron Caldwell
– The Collierville Herald –

The YMCA at Schilling Farms has received approval for additional building plans from the town’s Design and Environmental Review Commission.

The commission granted its okay to the plans which call for a $1.3 million second phase that should break ground early in the new year.

The YMCA at Schilling Farms in Collierville, which opened in may, has had daily attendance of approximately 1,200 people during the summer and has sold more than 8,000 memberships since opening, according to Melany Bray of the YMCA.

"It has been phenomenal," she said. "We are definitely in the right place at the right time."

She added that the number of memberships is "two years ahead of schedule after being open for about four months."

After opening the first phase, the Y began plans to raise money for the 12,400-square-foot second phase.

The second phase will feature a gymnasium with six basketball goals, a climbing wall, locker rooms, a sand volleyball court, a multi-purpose room, more parking, an outdoor walking track, offices, and a youth fitness center.

Citing heavy participation in all programs and activities at the center, YMCA officials are confident that the second phase will come just in time.

"We are at about 1,000 participants in our programs each week out here," said Ms. Bray. "And, during the summer we had about 1,200 people each day and that does not include the 300 that were on a waiting list for the summer day camps."

She added that 108 were signed up for youth fitness; 120 for tumbling and, 160 for educational enrichment programs.

"We hope to have the second phase ready to open by next May or June," said Ms. Bray.

The first phase, which includes an indoor and outdoor pool, a 5,000-square-foot wellness center, an aerobics room, two racquetball courts, a nursery room meeting rooms, a hot tub, and locker room facilities, was a $3,7 million project and the second phase will push the grand total for the Schilling Farms YMCA to approximately $5 when completed, she added.