{"id":18187,"date":"2013-09-09T09:00:40","date_gmt":"2013-09-09T13:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=18187"},"modified":"2013-09-09T09:00:25","modified_gmt":"2013-09-09T13:00:25","slug":"18187","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=18187","title":{"rendered":"Kennett Y makes splash with grand reopening"},"content":{"rendered":"

New facilities include warm-water pool with waterfall, arts studio<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h1>\n
\n

By Kathleen Brady Shea<\/strong><\/span>,\u00a0Managing Editor, The Times<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A group of children lined up on Friday to assist with the ribbon-cutting as the Kennett Area YMCA celebrated its grand reopening.<\/p><\/div>\n

For the past four years, the Kennett Area YMCA has bested about 2,700 facilities nationwide in member satisfaction \u2013 an impressive accomplishment that delights its high-energy, royal blue-shirted staff.<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s not surprising that the enthusiasm level reached new heights on Friday with the ribbon-cutting of the Y\u2019s expanded facility: 25 percent more space and amenities such as a warm-water aquatics center, state-of-the-art exercise equipment, even an Imaginarium, an arts studio complete with a kiln.<\/p>\n

Besides the addition, a sparkling makeover of the existing space included refurbishment and reallocation, in some cases taking down walls.<\/p>\n

Sharon Morrison, the Y\u2019s business manager and one of Friday\u2019s tour guides, said the construction didn\u2019t really generate any obstacles for the staff while the crews were working on the exterior. But when the construction moved inside about nine months ago, it offered some challenges that everyone was happy to see end, she said. \u201cIt turned out so well,\u201d she said. \u201cEveryone\u2019s really excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Kennett Area YMCA, voted tops in the nation in member satisfaction for the past four years, is also celebrating its expansion.<\/p><\/div>\n

And with good reason. A new room dedicated to yoga and Pilates creates a serene environment while the warm-water aquatic center beckons youngsters with a mushroom waterfall. A child-care play area rivals a top-notch preschool, providing a perfect venue for parents who want to cycle their way to better health on bikes that accommodate heart-rate monitors.<\/p>\n

Denise L. Day, president and chief executive officer of the YMCA of the Brandywine Valley, said numerous people deserved thanks for making the improvements happen, especially the fund-raisers, led by W. Thomas Musser; the generous donors, which included Exelon Generation, the Longwood Foundation, Aaron Martin, the Tri-M Group, LLC, and Michael and Kathy Walker; and \u201cthe blue shirts: the Kennett Y staff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Musser, who also chaired the 1996 capital campaign, said he remembered when the Y, which he called \u201ca special place,\u201d had to use neighborhood pools for its programs before its building took shape in 1998. Musser\u2019s grandson was one of the children who helped cut the ribbon, helping fulfill the Y\u2019s mission of outreach to people of all ages.<\/p>\n

The Pia family, owners of Kaolin Mushroom Farms, offered another example of multi-generational involvement and community commitment. Michael Pia serves on the Brandywine YMCA board; his son, Michael Jr., serves on the Kennett board; his grandchildren helped cut the ribbon; and his wife, Nancy, was the creative force behind the Imaginarium, made possible by the family\u2019s donation.<\/p>\n

Nancy Pia said she is eager to help people unleash their inner artist, a process that began for her when her four children, who are now adults, dubbed her \u201cartistically challenged\u201d when they were growing up. Pia said she disagreed with that description and began taking courses as an adult. She now has a permanent exhibit of her found-objects creations at the Delaware Children\u2019s Museum.<\/p>\n

Pia said she envisions the Imaginarium as a room that will inspire old and young to pursue a variety of artistic endeavors. \u201cI think creativity is so important,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re all creative in our own way.\u201d<\/p>\n

That kind of exuberance makes Doug Nakashima, the Y\u2019s executive director, grateful that he relocated to the area nine months ago to take the job. Addressing the audience at the ribbon-cutting, he expressed thanks for being embraced by the community. More than 11,000 children and adults participate in programs at the Kennett Y, which run from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., he said.<\/p>\n

A look at the Kennett Y\u2019s packed schedule boasts health and wellness regimens from tai chi to Zumba, childcare, swim lessons, and afterschool programs. John Featherman, a member of the Brandywine YMCA board, said he believes the member fee schedule is one of the Y\u2019s biggest assets. \u201cIt takes into account a person\u2019s ability to pay,\u201d he said, citing a generous scholarship program.<\/p>\n

Steve Trusco of Avondale said he and his wife have been members of the YMCA since 1993, and he was happy to see the expansion. He also said he wasn\u2019t surprised that the Kennett facility had won top honors for member satisfaction four years in a row. \u201cThere absolutely a vibe here from the staff that\u2019s positive,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a real community feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New facilities include warm-water pool with waterfall, arts studio By Kathleen Brady Shea,\u00a0Managing Editor, The Times For the past four years, the Kennett Area YMCA has bested about 2,700 facilities nationwide in member satisfaction \u2013 an impressive accomplishment that delights its high-energy, royal blue-shirted staff. So it\u2019s not surprising that the enthusiasm level reached new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":18190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,7],"tags":[4138,4139,4140,4117,4141,4142,4143,3329,3165,4144,4145,4146,3675],"class_list":["post-18187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-featured","tag-aaron-martin","tag-delaware-childrens-museum","tag-denise-l-day","tag-doug-nakashima","tag-exelon-generation","tag-imaginarium","tag-kaolin-mushroom-farms","tag-kennett-area-ymca","tag-llc","tag-the-longwood-foundation","tag-the-tri-m-group","tag-w-thomas-musser","tag-ymca-of-the-brandywine-valley"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18187\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}