WILMINGTON — Over 100 community members, elected officials, donors, volunteers, members, and partners came together Friday, July 31, at the Midtown Young Men’s Christian Association to celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony of the center’s $15 million expansion.
YMCA leadership, philanthropic and government partners, elected officials, and members of the project team made statements before the ceremonial groundbreaking.
“Today represents far more than the start of construction—it represents our community shared commitment to ensuring every child, family, and individual has access to the programs, services, and support they need to thrive,” President and CEO of the YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina Dick Jones said.
READ MORE: Wilmington YMCA requests $4.5M from local, state governments for midtown expansion project
The project will expand the current site, turning the Midtown YMCA into a 48,000 square-foot full service community wellness center. Construction is expected to begin early August and last 15 months with estimated completion around November 2027.
The expansion is a response to the continued growth of the region which has increased the demand for services such as child care, aquatics and community wellness. Once finished, the Midtown YMCA expects to serve 6,000 more members per year as well as double child care capacity, expand youth and family programming, increase access to swim lessons and water safety education and provide new opportunities for overall wellness and connection.
Expansions include an 8-lane, 25-yard indoor pool, a wellness center, expanded child care and youth development classrooms, group exercise studios, community meeting and gathering spaces, senior wellness areas, three locker rooms, expanded parking and a covered outdoor Airnasium with a full-size basketball court, three pickleball courts, futsal goals, and multi-purpose recreation space.
Fundraising for the project will continue throughout construction to aid the organization in completing all of its goals for the expansion. As of the ceremony the YMCA raised over $11.5 million towards the project.
Transformational funds came from The Endowment, Bruce B. Cameron Family Foundation, and New Hanover County. The federal Community Project Funding also donated $1.5 million, which was championed by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC). Additionally, the YMCA got a $500,000 appropriation in the 2026-27 North Carolina State Budget, led by Rep. Ted Davis (R-New Hanover).
If a community member donates $1,000 or more, the YMCA will give them permanent donor recognition.
“While today’s groundbreaking is a tremendous milestone, our work is not finished,” Jones said. “We still have approximately $3.5 million remaining to fully fund this transformational project.”
In a statement the Midtown YMCA said during construction the center will remain open with minimal interruption to current programming.
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