BA’s New YMCA to Offer Fitness Variety

By TIM STANLEY

The center, which is scheduled to open May 19, will be the first in the city. Officials plan to expand it later.

BROKEN ARROW — When this city’s first YMCA opens May 19, area families will find plenty of options to help them stay fit.

And more options are coming soon: YMCA of Greater Tulsa officials, who eventually will invest more than $8 million overall in the fitness center, plan to add an indoor swimming pool and gymnasium when funds are available.

A dedication ceremony is scheduled for May 29 for the R.C. Dickenson Family YMCA, 8501 S. Garnett Road.

Residents helped choose the center’s features through a marketing survey, said Susan Plank, the CEO of YMCA of Greater Tulsa.

“Every Y you go into is a little different and reflects its community,” Plank said. “The Dickenson Y is no exception. We’re really excited about it. It’s going to be a great addition to Broken Arrow.”

The $4.5 million first phase includes a strength and conditioning center with machine and free weights and stationary bikes, and a group exercise studio.

The 20,000-square-foot center will also have classrooms, a computer lab, a child-watch room, a play area for older children, an outdoor playground, locker rooms and offices.

The swimming pool and gymnasium will be in the second phase of development, Plank said.

“We thought first about doing an outdoor pool, but it was clear from the survey that there was a need for an indoor pool in Broken Arrow,” she said, adding that about $4 million must be raised for the second phase.

The nonprofit center will be the seventh for YMCA of Greater Tulsa, which recently opened the new Hutcherson Family YMCA in Tulsa, replacing one with the same name.

YMCA officials are using the Broken Arrow outlet to introduce a new feature: the Adventure Center, a staffed play area for children ages 7 to 14.

In the center, children can play the high-energy Dance Dance Revolution game or Nintendo Wii video games. Those games incorporate physical activity, which is in keeping with the YMCA’s fitness mission, officials said.

“We’ll gauge the Adventure Center’s success here and see if we need to make some changes at our other facilities,” Plank said.

Kyle Wilkes, the executive director for the new fitness center, said the marketing survey indicated that the center could expect up to 2,500 memberships, both individual and family.

About 100 have enrolled so far, taking advantage of a special membership offer available before the grand opening, he said.

“We established a relationship with Golf World (8101 S. Garnett Road) down the street. People can go in there and sign up for a Y membership at a reduced joining fee and receive a T-shirt,” Wilkes said.

Membership rates vary, with reduced rates for lower-income families and individuals. An upfront joining fee is also based on income.

Plank said that having child care available while parents work out is a free benefit of membership.

Wilkes said 25 fitness classes will be offered initially, with others added as they go along. Officials expect to add them quickly.

Plank said the organization has no time frame for phase two, although officials hope to start it soon.

“It all depends on how soon we can raise the dollars. We’ll do a capital campaign for it,” she said.

The center is named for the late R.C. Dickenson, whose family donated about half of the 15-acre site.

R.C. Dickenson Family YMCA

By the numbers:

$4.5 million: Cost of first phase

$4 million: Projected cost of second phase, to include gymnasium and pool

20,000: Building’s size, in square feet

2,500: Number of memberships expected

40: Number of staff members, full- and part-time

25: Number of fitness classes to start with

For more

For more information on the R.C. Dickenson Family YMCA, call 518-5940.

When the center opens, its number will be 872-9622.

A schedule of fitness classes will soon be posted online at www.tulsaworld.com/ymca.

Tim Stanley 581-8385

tim.stanley@tulsaworld.com

Originally published by TIM STANLEY World Staff Writer.

(c) 2008 Tulsa World. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.