YMCA’s program overflow prompts $1.6 million expansion

Booming growth in membership at the YMCA in Myrtle Beach -- which frequently is forced to have classes in hallways -- has prompted a $1.6 million expansion that will include a soccer complex and aerobic studio.

The Claire Chapin Epps Family YMCA plans to add a 2,500-square-foot aerobics and fitness studio and buy two 30-passenger shuttle buses that will provide youth transport to the four YMCA after school sites and summer enrichment programs. Plans also call for construction of a 23-acre soccer complex in partnership with Horry County, YMCA Chief Executive Officer Matt Dempski said.

“You get an idea of how busy the Y is when you come into the parking lot,” said Randy Wallace, co-chairman of the fund-raising campaign. “We planned this extra building in the original drawings. We have got to expand now and make better use of the current space as well so we can serve more people.”

The Y has seen unprecedented growth in membership and program participation, jumping from 700 members in 2009 when it moved to its current spot off 62nd Avenue North to more than 5,000 today, Dempski said. The Y offers 110 group fitness classes weekly.

Some classes are held in the hallway because there are so many participants, Dempski said.

“We have up to 10,000 group exercise participants,” he said. “We’re everywhere.”

Construction on the new addition will not begin until funds are committed. YMCA leaders hope to break ground as early as this summer. A target date for development of the soccer complex would be mid-2017.

The Growing Stronger Together Capital Campaign has already raised 65 percent of the $1.6 million goal to pay for the expansion, officials said.

“Randy and I are back asking for more,” co-chair Penny Boling said prior to the kickoff of the community phase of the campaign.

Wallace and Boling headed up the earlier campaign that raised $7 million that allowed the former Grand Strand Family YMCA to move into its new and larger facility just off 62nd Avenue North in Myrtle Beach in 2009.

With $900,000 raised during the campaign’s “quiet” phase from previous donors such as The Chapin Foundation, Boling and Wallace say the YMCA board is now seeking community support to raise the additional $700,000. They will begin soliciting local businesses, community leaders and YMCA members.

With an emphasis on health and wellness, the Y offers group fitness programs for Horry County residents of all ages and provides a nursery so parents have a safe place to leave their infants while using Y facilities. It also accommodates a good number of snowbirds -- part-time residents who visit the area for weeks or months during the winter months.

Ohio resident Lee Archer, Asheville, N.C. resident Barbara Sain and Pennsylvania resident Bob Springer all participate in Y programs during the months they spend in Myrtle Beach.

“The three of us were just talking about why we are here,” Archer said while resting after a good workout. “I’m 75 years old. These people here are so nice. Everybody makes you feel at home and the equipment is fantastic.”

Sain said she is impressed with the Y’s choice of classes. “There is something for everyone from people on walkers to the hard bodies.”

Springer, a former law enforcement officer who belongs to the YMCA in New York, said the Myrtle Beach facility offers twice as many classes as his Y back home.

They, like many other seniors, participate in the Silver Sneakers fitness program offered through many of the nation’s health plans. The program encourages seniors to stay physically fit. The Y provides the place for health and fitness activities while also providing a safe atmosphere for socializing.

The Y offers an ever-increasing list of programs and activities geared toward family health and wellness. It was selected recently as one of 15 out of the 2,300 YMCAs in America to participate in a pilot hypertension prevention program.

Dempski said when someone joins the YMCA, a health coach meets with them to help them set goals. He and the co-chairs describe the Y as more than a place to work out.

“It is never just about the numbers but about a better lifestyle for people,” Wallace said.

Dempski said no one interested in a membership is ever turned away due to finances. The Y is able to offer some scholarship funding.

“That is what separates the Y from other fitness centers,” Dempski said. “We make sure everybody can come in here and participate.”

Boling said the Claire Chapin Epps Family YMCA, which operates under the umbrella of the YMCA of Coastal Carolina serving Horry and Georgetown counties, was built with community

donations and she anticipates the community will step up once again to aid with the expansion.

She said the Y provides programs for “people of all ages and from all different neighborhoods.”

“This YMCA provides something for all ages. A family can grow through here. I’ve met some of my best friends at the YMCA,” Boling said.

To donate or learn more about the community phase of the capital campaign, contact Dempski at mattd@coastalcarolinaymca.org or call the YMCA at 843-449-YMCA (9622).

This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 1:13 PM with the headline "YMCA’s program overflow prompts $1.6 million expansion."