YMCA Announces $1.5M Funding From State

Aquatic Center Skate Park and YMCA Community Center Overview (YMCA)

(Press Release) West Palm Beach, FL - YMCA of the Palm Beaches has announced that the Florida State Legislature has approved $1.5 million in the State budget for construction costs associated with the Y’s new 55,000 square foot community center, currently under construction at Lake Lytal Park. The grant was sponsored locally by State Senator Mack Bernard and State Representative Anne Gerwig and was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis.

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The State appropriation was granted with recognition of the local support and funding the project has already received. “We are extremely grateful to our legislators for their overwhelming support of this expansive project,” said Timothy Coffield, President and CEO of the YMCA of the Palm Beaches. “This is an important investment in our community’s future, and we are honored that State of Florida has approved funding and we will continue to work with the local community to garner additional support to help make this long-awaited dream a reality.”
 
The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners has approved a 50-year ground lease to the YMCA of the Palm Beaches, allowing the nonprofit to build a state-of-the-art 55,000 square foot community center and Olympic-style skate park adjacent to the County’s future aquatic facility, also under construction, which the Y will assist in managing.  This historic public-private partnership replicates a successful model, through which other YMCA associations throughout the nation have worked together with municipalities. The new facilities will be centrally located in Palm Beach County at Lake Lytal Park, just off Donald J. Trump Boulevard, and will be a destination recreational facility for thousands of individuals, children and families in Palm Beach County.
 
A hallmark feature of the new YMCA Community Center will be its Youth Engagement and Resource Center, wholly focused on mentoring young people between the ages of 12 and 22. Most of the first floor of the 2-story structure will be dedicated to teens and young adults, and will include a teen center, recording studio, STEM lab, workforce development hub, e-gaming lounge, visual arts studio, and more. Job skills training will include construction trades, food service training, virtual design labs, sound studio technical training, and information technology. A variety of additional services will include mental health, career, and educational counseling.
 
Naming opportunities are still available for the community center, which is scheduled to be complete late 2026.  For information, email [email protected]. Follow YMCA of the Palm Beaches at www.ymcapalmbeaches.org, on Facebook and Instagram @ymcapalmbeaches.