By Blake Haas

BLOOMINGTON – Construction continues on the new Bloomington-Normal YMCA; however, those wanting to work out at the new facility will have to wait a while longer.

According to Tessa Mizell, Director of Marketing and Special Events at the YMCA, the grand opening is slightly delayed from the spring of 2022 to the early summer of 2022.

Mizell, said with the pools being the final piece of the project, construction workers are finding a hard time getting their hands on pool equipment, causing the delay.

“We actually knew that all along that the pools were going to be the very last piece of the project that was going to be completed. As of recently, we have learned that due to supplies needed in the pool, we have been slightly delayed. So we are looking at opening in early summer of 2022, so not too far off from whenever we were thinking, but it will be a little bit later.”

At the tune of $23 million, the new facility is nearly 76,000-square-foot, roughly 36,000-square-feet bigger than the existing facility in Bloomington.

“We just want to ensure that when we open this facility, it is going to exceed the expectations and the ideas of what our community have for a YMCA,” Mizell told WJBC’s, Scott Miller. “The pools are going to be phenomenal. So we want to make sure that we have everything done and finished and ready for people to jump in and start swimming and get the kiddos in and get everyone in the pool.”

The new YMCA is a collaboration between the Y, Easterseasls, and OSF.

Discussions are still taking place on what the YMCA will do with its current facility at 602 South Main Street in Bloomington.

Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].