The Edwardsville YMCA has been marking the 10th anniversary of the Meyer Center on Goshen Road, a new addition.
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The Meyer Center, which is over 114,000 square feet and one of largest YMCA facilities in the country, allowed the Edwardsville YMCA to greatly expand programs, activities and opportunities for people of all ages. Positive response to the facility started on day one and continues today, Edwardsville YMCA CEO/President Gary Niebur said.
“The Edwardsville YMCA has a long proud history starting in 1949 as a storefront office operation and using local facilities in the area for programs and services,” Niebur said. “Since that time, the ESIC facility was constructed (in the late 80’s) and expanded on several occasions. That great facility has grown over the years from the 10,000 square-feet to over 40,000 square-feet.”
Ten years ago the YMCA opened the Meyer Center on Goshen Road. The third YMCA facility opened just three years ago and is a facility for full day childcare. The Allison Cassens Early Childhood Development Center, a 10,000 square-foot facility located on Cottonwood Road in Glen Carbon, provides full day childcare from infants to 5-year-olds.
Tom Verheyen, branch director of the Meyer Center, said the The Meyer Center Turns 10 Campaign recently was “quite successful” with many people taking advantage of the significant savings.
“It exceeded our expectations,” he said of the 10-year celebration.
He said the Meyer Center addition has been wonderful for the YMCA with the new roller rink, five indoors tennis courts, a rock climbing wall, full to half gymnasium, an indoor track and an outstanding fitness center with the latest equipment and outdoor pool for summer months.
“A lot of people have joined just to use the indoor track,” he said. “It especially gets a ton of traffic during the winter.”
He said the Esic YMCA branch, the Meyer Center YMCA and the new day care services more than 20,000 members. Membership has almost doubled since the Meyer expansion, he added.
Lauren Szakielo, marketing/communications director for the Edwardsville YMCA, said people feel the YMCA is a good place to come and visit and parents feel safe to have their kids there after school.
“We had a record number of kids attending our summer camp with an average of 450 kids a day,” she said. “That really spoke to us.”
Niebur said the 10-year anniversary celebration of the Meyer Center YMCA has been a great success. He said he also looks for only bright things for the Edwardsville YMCA in the future, servicing such wonderful communities.
“That facility, coupled with the Esic Center and the Early Childhood Development Center, provide a long and impressive list of programs and use opportunities to our members and the communities we serve,” he said.
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