Courtesy Saratoga YMCA
The Saratoga Regional YMCA and the Saratoga Senior Center broke ground June 21 on a revolutionary joint capital project that officials said will create an intergenerational wellness environment for residents from children to seniors living in the greater Saratoga region.
The $8.2 million community collaboration is the first of its kind and will add approximately 38,000 square feet to the Y’s West Avenue facility, which will include a 14,500 square-foot new home for the Saratoga Senior Center.
The collaboration between the two organizations will help create an intergenerational community hub dedicated to health and wellness. The relocation of the Senior Center to the West Avenue campus will free up the current Senior Center space for other civic organizations to operate, which is a benefit to the entire community.
Since 1955, the Saratoga Senior Center has empowered seniors to achieve and maintain personal independence and individual well-being by providing the program structure and support services necessary for healthy recreation, companionship, social involvement, and problem solving.
With the ever-growing population of seniors, the Senior Center’s relocation will provide a larger space for seniors to gather, socialize and participate in some of their favorite activities—rooms for art, exercise and games, a café and kitchen, educational and cultural programs, and extensive senior support services.
“Saratoga is nationally recognized for its dedication to healthy living, and this project is not only a natural extension of that, but is taking a revolutionary approach to the many benefits of intergenerational wellness,” said Saratoga Regional YMCA CEO Scott Clark. “At a time when social interaction and healthy bodies are more important than ever, we are so thrilled to be able to create this special space for our community. We are so grateful to all of our benefactors who are helping to make it a reality.”
He said the Saratoga Regional YMCA has been dedicated to improving the health and wellness of the greater Saratoga community for over 150 years.
The expansion project will provide much-needed additional space for the Y when post-COVID operations are currently requiring more space in exercise areas to better support public health. It will include increased fitness space, a new wellness center with a focus on chronic disease prevention, an indoor adventure center which will include a parent-supervised play space, a new gymnasium, as well as a shared multigenerational lobby area between the Y and the Senior Center.
Adding this additional space will also allow the Y to specifically expand its summer day camp and before-and-after-school programs in order to serve more families at a time when the need for care has never been greater.
This collaboration is being made possible by a lead charitable gift from Stewart’s Shops and the Dake Family. Stewart’s Shops and the Dake Family continue to be an integral part of helping to improve the health and wellbeing of their shop’s communities. They have supported many YMCA capital projects, including the recent collaboration between Saratoga Hospital and the Malta YMCA.
They have also provided ongoing support to the Senior Center, and look forward to helping these two prominent Saratoga-based nonprofits work together to strengthen their communities.
These two organizations will seek additional donor support to help offset the cost of equipment, furnishings, fixtures, and construction, by embarking on a capital campaign.
Local architect John Muse designed the expansion and Bast Hatfield is handling the construction.
The Y and the Senior Center anticipate the first phase of the project to be complete by the end of year, with additional building components being added and expanded throughout 2023.
For more information about this exciting capital project, contact Clark at 518-583-9622 ext. 106, or Lois Celeste, executive director, Saratoga Senior Center, at 518-584-1621, ext. 200.