As Islanders get accustomed to the newly-built, state-of-the art YMCA in their midst, they are simultaneously getting acquainted with Julian Villegas, the senior program director there. The soft-spoken Columbian native is quickly making himself known as a warm and welcoming ambassador for the YMCA’s mission of bringing families and communities together.
Ripples were made for the first time in the brand new YMCA pool on Saturday. Nearly 60 guests were serenaded into the building by the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Minnesingers’ rendition of the Village People’s YMCA, eager after waiting in the hot sun to sign up for summer programs or go for a swim.
Swimming classes, water aerobics, yoga and summer camp will be in full swing after this weekend’s official opening of the YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard. The new Y will be marking its grand opening with a small ribbon cutting ceremony tomorrow welcoming members of the community into the much-anticipated facility.
Already the new YMCA building on the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road fits right in with the neighborhood, flanked by the Martha’s Vineyard Arena on one side, Martha’s Vineyard Community Services and the skate park on the other side, and the regional high school across the road.
And if your vision of a YMCA is rooted in past memories of dank, mostly windowless, poorly heated concrete buildings, look again. The Vineyard’s new YMCA is a marvel of open space and sunlight.
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission last Thursday unanimously approved a laundry list of changes to the new YMCA building off Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road, including a walking bridge, outside basketball court, covered pavilion and temporary irrigation system.
The 35,000-square foot YMCA on a five-acre property across from the regional high school is planned for opening next month.
A sharply divided Martha’s Vineyard Commission voted last Thursday to hold another round of review for several proposed changes to the new YMCA building off Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road, including a new walking bridge, outside basketball court, covered pavilion and temporary irrigation system.