Delaware Y Plans Expansion

NEWARK, DE -- The barely two-year-old Bear-Glasgow Family YMCA, Newark, DE, announced a 9,000-square-foot expansion project this week that the facility says is needed to accommodate its member base of 22,000 people.

Opened in early 2008, the currently 63,000-square-foot facility plans to add a new 4,000-square-foot group exercise studio, a 1,400-square-foot Spinning studio, a 1,600-square-foot youth wellness center and additional office and storage space.

“The community response to having a YMCA has been amazing, and to keep up with the demand, we are moving to expand much more quickly than originally planned,” Val Siktar, executive director of the Bear-Glasgow Family YMCA, said in a statement. “Our group exercise classes will serve more members with the new studio, our youth wellness participants will have more equipment and space, and our Spinning classes will have more bikes so that more folks can enjoy the world of Spinning.”

The existing youth wellness center will become a stretching area for adults and include space for personal training, while the current Spinning room will serve as an overflow room for a Kids Zone babysitting area.

Construction on the $900,000 expansion has started and should be finished by April 2010. RG Architects is the architect on the project, and Whiting-Turner is the general contractor.