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Quincy YMCA moving into the future
Posted: 08.10.2011 at 9:00 PM
Chad Douglas

Chad Douglas is an Anchor and a Reporter for KHQA.

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QUINCY, IL. -- The Quincy Family YMCA quietly celebrated a milestone earlier this week.

100 years ago it became incorporated with the state of Illinois.

The Y has actually been part of the Quincy community off and on for 158 years, and shows no signs of slowing down.

You may think of the Y as a place to work out.

Or a place to shoot some hoops.  But the Y means different things to different people, and it prides itself on changing with the times.

Mark Spiegelhoff says, "The YMCA has always been an organization that has evolved to meet changing community needs over all those years. Going back to our early years, we were very focused on bringing people together for Bible study and spiritual worship needs."

Those needs evolved into housing young men during the Industrial Revolution to teaching kids how to swim to providing after school childcare, to now battling childhood obesity. This is the new Kids Fit Zone, an 1800 square foot room that will soon be filled with interactive video games and other equipment for kids. It can also be used by senior citizens to keep them active. It's set to open in the middle of next month. Five years ago, the Quincy Family YMCA developed a facility master plan, and it was agreed to renovate and expand the 40 year old facility. The Kids Fit Zone is one part of it. In recent years, the Wellness Center and cycling room were redone.

And the renovations continue. Right now this is a game room, but in the coming weeks, this will be the new lobby of the Y. Construction will start soon, and should be done by Labor Day. It'll have a more coffee shop kind of feel to it.

There are also other renovation plans for the Quincy Y...some of which can't be talked about just yet, but other can.

Spiegelhoff says, "We recognize the need for an elevator in a building of this age, so that's one of the projects we'll be raising money for. We're looking at the condition of our current football field and seeing what we can do with that situation."

And the focus isn't soley on the Quincy facility.

Spiegelhoff says, "The YMCA is currently, or will be in five different communities in West Central Illinois. In addition to Quincy, we're in Mt. Sterling, we're in Camp Point, Rushville, and we will soon be in the community of Barry, Illinois as well."

The plan is to open that facility during the winter or spring of 2012.

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