Written By Lisa Breslin
When the Y of Central Maryland bought the old Westminster Inn and East End Athletic Club more than a year ago for $1 million, it planned to sell its facilities on Sykesville Road, renovate the newly acquired property and expand its services.
In October of this year, the Y moved a step closer to its goals by selling its Carroll County preschool center for $812,000 to ABAR Homes, a Sykesville builder. Proceeds from the sale, officials said, would be reinvested in the new quarters in downtown Westminster. The new South Center Street facility will be named in honor of longtime Y volunteer and supporter, Marty Hill, a local developer and philanthropist.
At this writing, the Y had not found a buyer for the remaining Sykesville Road property, which Y officials said was on the market for $4.2 million. They said that they had discussed keeping ties to the existing swim pool and athletic fields even after the old location was sold, at least for a time.
The Sykesville Road preschool operation will be run by Lean on Me Learning, a Carroll County-based organization. Lean on Me operates a preschool center in Taylorsville.
The preschool center will operate without interruption throughout the transition and the Y will honor its commitment to those families who currently receive Y scholarships to it.
According to Y officials, the new family center on South Center Street will have the capacity to serve more people through expanded operations, including state-of-the-art health and wellness amenities and enrichment and educational programs.
Y officials were enthusiastic about the new building.
“We’re tickled because the new location offers so much more programmable space,” said John Hoey, President and CEO of Y of Central Maryland. “There are 40,000 square feet compared to the 24,000 square feet of the old location. The new location will help us reach three times as many people.”
The local Y currently serves 4,900 members, and there are more than 8,500 program participants, according to Sara Milstein, Chief Marketing Officer for Y of Central Maryland.
After hiring Baltimore-based Marks Thomas Architects, the Y has invested more than $20,000 on architectural and cleanup work at the new quarters. Y leaders have also talked to many organizations about the benefits of outreach partnerships.
“This new location also offers opportunities for some significant partnerships with prominent organizations including the hospital, Random House, the local colleges, the city of Westminster and the local Boys and Girls club,” said Jeff Sprinkle, chief philanthropy officer for Y of Central MD. “We are still imagining and dreaming. We are also assessing what the community wants.”
“We have had several meetings and they have discussed what they see as a win-win partnership,” said John M. Sernulka, President and CEO of the Carroll Hospital Center. “We offer a wide range of resources here, and we are assessing whether partnering with the Y will add to our services or complicate them. We are still three to six months away from determining where this will land.”
The timeline for renovations and a final move into the new location?
“Ideally? Tomorrow,” said Hoey. “But there are still a number of hurdles. We hope to be in the new location by late next year.”
The price tag to open the new facility’s doors, according to Sprinkle, will be approximately $3.5 to $4 million.
“This will not be an expense that will be passed to patrons,” said Hoey. “The Y always takes pride in affordability. That affordability will remain.
“Funding for renovations and the transition from the old to the new location will come from the sale of the old site and a capital campaign.”
