By Lori Carlson, Correspondent 

The YMCA scheduled for construction beginning this summer in Prior Lake will bring more than just another workout facility to the area, representatives of the organization say.

With a history of bridging social, financial and generational gaps extending back to the 1800s, the YMCA would become an important partner in the Prior Lake area, said Christa Getchell, financial development vice president of the YMCA of Metropolitan Minneapolis.

“The YMCA is a neutral community resource, an asset-building resource,” Getchell said. “The Y has a history of helping disenfranchised groups.”

Getchell said the YMCA also has a reputation for becoming a partner with school districts, cities and other community groups to get things accomplished. The Prior Lake YMCA could help Scott County “stay ahead of the game” in social services, particularly with its location near Safe Haven for Youth on the Shepherd’s Path campus.

“[Shepherd’s Path] is very smart to capture this idea of the pathway of generations,” she said. “Many churches are trying to build campuses, but they aren’t being smart about it. This is the first one to really bring it all together. There’s an interconnection of mind, body and spirit, from birth to ashes.”

With groundbreaking expected in August on the Shepherd’s Path campus near county roads 42 and 21, YMCA leaders and community volunteers are busy raising the $4 million in donations needed to break ground on the facility (another $5 million would come from the YMCA itself to finish the building).

The two-story, 50,000-square-foot YMCA would take about one year to build once construction begins, said Yvonne Anderson, community development director for the YMCA Minneapolis. So far, the campaign has raised $1.1 million, said Bob Barsness, a volunteer and a member of the YMCA development steering committee. The goal is to raise $2 million by July 1.

The facility would be attached to Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran church by a walkway. It would include a fitness area and two studios, two pools, a children’s area and gym, a two-story “playscape,” a “splash pad” and a licensed childcare site. Members would pay the typical YMCA membership fees of $35 per month for youth 10-17, $60 per month for adults and $103 per month for families. Membership includes access to YMCA facilities throughout the country.

The YMCA will have its second golf fund-raiser for the Prior Lake facility on June 19 at Somerby Golf Club in Byron, Minn. For more information, including registration details, call Patrick Mason at (952) 892-8612 or Megan Ames at (952) 892-8605. Last year’s tournament raised $58,000.