The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Local News

September 3, 2012

‘Y’ says remodeling on schedule

By Robb Murray Free Press Staff Writer

MANKATO — For anyone wondering when the heck the Mankato Family YMCA is going to get back to normal, here’s your update.

The family locker room in still on schedule for an Oct. 1 opening. The women’s locker rooms and a new yoga studio are on schedule for a Nov. 1 opening.

As work then begins on the men’s locker rooms, the plan is for one of the women’s locker rooms to serve as a temporary locker room for men. Boys will use the family locker room.

That will be the situation through March.

“For the most part, members have taken the construction in stride,” said Joe Tougas, the Mankato Y’s marketing director. “I think the extra noise and minor rerouting around the construction areas are seen as small stuff compared to the big improvements everyone will enjoy.

“The biggest issue was the temporary closing of the family locker room for its remodeling,” he said. “But that’s on its way, bigger and better with more shower stalls and a big reduction in the bottlenecking during heavy traffic times. Families are going to be really impressed.”

The next phase of construction will involve remodeling the front lobby, but the Y doesn’t have a firm start date on that.

The Y’s upgrades are part of a plan announced last year. Boosted by a $900,000 donation from the Glen Taylor Foundation, the Y embarked on a series of upgrades its patrons have been asking for.

The fundraising campaign sought to bring in about $3 million.

Taylor, a lifelong Mankato-area resident, is owner of Taylor Corp. and the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx.

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