Pocono News Section

Sneak Peek Inside Carbondale YMCA Expansion

Sneak Peek Inside Carbondale YMCA Expansion - Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 3:30PM EST

Reported by: Eric Deabill
Wednesday, Mar 3, 2010 @ 04:30pm EST
CARBONDALE, LACKAWANNA COUNTY -- There is a lot of excitement in the air in Lackawanna County's Up Valley. After two years of work, an expansion project at the Carbondale YMCA is almost complete. Eyewitness News cameras were the first to get video inside Wednesday afternoon.

Ground was broken on the 10-million dollar renovation project back in 2008. Officials say they are now just weeks from opening. The project is something a lot of people are looking forward to.

The pool will no doubt be the centerpiece of the brand new Carbondale YMCA. Complete with a 15-foot slide, everyone has been waiting to see exactly what the new facility will look like.

YMCA Program Director Jason Mackie said, “It’s crazy. Everybody wants to know when the date is. It’s become a big joke. Everybody sayings let’s go, we want it opened. Hurry up!"

YMCA Aquatics Director Beth Wiggins said, “We've never been up to par with everybody else -- and now -- we really feel with this, we've surpassed everyone with what we have to offer."

Besides the pool a huge room on the second floor will soon be filled with exercise equipment. It will become the "Y's" wellness center. “The amount of programs, the space we'll have to use, it'll be phenomenal," says Mackie.

Current YMCA members know the road to get to this point has been long, but they say well worth it. Ralph Althouse said, “This program has brought this whole town together. This program and fundraising and I expect very shortly we'll all be in it."

Officials say they're trying to get the doors open as soon as possible because the demand is already so great. “Everybody’s been seeing this happen, little by little and all of a sudden, it’s here, so we're just waiting for everyone to open the doors and have everybody flood in and we're gonna share all of this with everyone and have a great time,” added Wiggins.

YMCA officials say their facility is something that's used by more than just the people in Carbondale. They say they have members from the Mid-Valley, Susquehanna County and even Wayne County. They hope the expansion brings even more in.