Ymca Groundbreaking Held At Mirabeau Point

Sat., March 6, 1999

By Marny Lombard marnyl@spokesman.com (509) 927-2166

The YMCA of the Inland Northwest this week held a long-awaited groundbreaking for its $6 million center at Mirabeau Point.

With the help of about a dozen children enrolled in YMCA youth programs, officials on Thursday turned the ceremonial shovelfuls of dirt.

Dave and Laura Gerkins and their daughter Rachel, 10, also attended as the first charter members of the Valley YMCA Youth and Family Center. Their name was drawn at random from all Valley Y members.

Goebel General Contracting expects to start work onsite on Monday, said Steve Jurich, Valley YMCA director.

The YMCA center, which is expected to be complete by early next year, is the first new building at the Mirabeau Point community complex.

Mirabeau Point is being developed on the former Walk in the Wild Zoo site in the Spokane Valley. Along with the YMCA, it is expected to include a senior center, a youth center, possibly a performing arts facility, as well as trails and parklands.

Road construction is under way. This winter, Discovery Place, a quarter-mile roadway leading to the cul de sac on which the YMCA and other Mirabeau buildings will front, was built this winter.

Red Diamond Construction Inc. was awarded a $562,000 contract to build the southern half of Mirabeau Parkway, connecting to Indiana Avenue, and is expected to start next week, weather permitting. The northern leg of the parkway, extending to Euclid Avenue, was finished last year.

Programs and services at the new YMCA will range from pre-school classes to active older adult exercise, to teen sessions on an indoor climbing wall, rehabilitation programs, family recreation swims and more.

The 46,000-square-foot center will include two pools, a full-size gymnasium, special-needs locker rooms, youth and teen center, exercise areas, babysitting area and two multi-purpose rooms.

The YMCA is also starting the sale of charter memberships to the Valley center. For a $150 addition to regular membership fees, charter members will receive privileges including construction update newsletters and on-site recognition.

The extra charter money will pay to equip the teen center.

This sidebar appeared with the story: INFORMATION For more information on the Valley YMCA’s charter memberships, call 927-1474.

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