In a nutshell
Design for the city of Georgetown’s two-story YMCA building started in January, and YMCA staff are seeking council’s direction on the facility’s use of space, according to a presentation.
In the YMCA’s memorandum of understanding—or a nonbinding agreement—with the city, desired facilities in the building include a community meeting room, classroom spaces and a second full-size gym. But after several design changes, the additional gym was lost in planning.
Jeff Andresen, president and CEO of the YMCA of Central Texas, presented a plan that fits the second gym back into the floorplan while still meeting the facility’s desired 52,000-55,000-square-foot goal.
Why it matters
While the addition of the gym meets the MOU’s requirements and adds space for indoor sports, it eliminates spaces the community ranked high in the YMCA’s market research—like a gymnastics and dance gymnasium, Andresen said.
“It will start to affect the younger kids,” Andresen said. “Definitely the teens and the adults will be affected with their use of space.”
YMCA staff recommended their current design without the second gym, which will serve more age groups while providing the best opportunity to recapture operating costs, per the presentation. Council members agreed with the YMCA’s current design without the additional gym.
“If you guys think that the programming is better the way you guys scaled it down without the second gym, I’m in favor of that,” District 7 council member Ben Stewart said.
Construction is expected to finish by fall 2026, said Rich Carlton, vice president of facilities at YMCA of Greater Williamson County.
Related highlights
The YMCA must include an option where the facility’s donor is part of the building’s official name, Andresen said. As a nod to all involved parties, he proposed “Sport Clips Family YMCA / City of Georgetown Westside Recreation Center.”
City officials were split on whether or not to include Georgetown in the name. District 3 council member Mike Triggs said mentioning the city would be nice but isn’t necessary, while Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Pitts suggested incorporating the city’s logo to cut back on length.
“The citizens of Georgetown will be putting in a good amount of money into this project as well, and having some predominant branding on the exterior of the building ... would make sense to me,” Pitts said.
District 1 council member Amanda Parr agreed the city needs to be represented through a logo or smaller signage. She suggested removing any "westside" references completely.
“I know that we have plans for other recreation centers in the future,” Parr said. “I’m not wedded to one or the other, but is there a reason that we need to call one the westside to potentially account for another facility in another area? ... To me, that seems like a little bit of overkill.”
How we got here
City staff first met with the YMCA in February 2022 to discuss a partnership opportunity. By May 2023, the city completed a study that indicated a need for the center to be in west Georgetown, Assistant City Manager Wayne Nero said.
Georgetown voters passed a $10 million bond in the November 2023 election to contribute toward the YMCA’s approximate 55,000-square-foot facility near 6200 Williams Drive, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
Negotiations with the site’s general contractor started the first week of December, and officials expect to reach an agreement before the end of the year, according to the presentation.
By the numbers
New projected costs from the architect show costs have risen from the facility’s larger floorplan, but the city’s $10 million funding level is static, Andresen said.
Factors driving up probable cost for the facility include additional construction and increased design costs, and compliance with the latest energy code, Carlton said.
Per city documents, the YMCA board has committed to funding $19.2 million of the project.
Local committees and boards have raised $6.55 million in funding, and $1.45 million is still pending from those organizations, which will be raised before the building opens, Andresen said.
How it works
Research done by YMCA staff helps determine the types of facilities families want to see, Andresen said. Staff prioritizes finding equal usage from demographics, including:
- Infants and toddlers
- Elementary-aged children
- Teens
- Adults
- Families
- Seniors
One more thing
According to the presentation, the YMCA is in negotiations with Wellspring Church and six nearby residents in an effort to eliminate 11 of YMCA’s 22.03 acres from deed restrictions, or limitations on property uses.
