SPENCER
FAMILY
YMCA GETS
NEW DIGS
New facility opened
May 1.
BY PAUL GLASSER
T
he Spencer Family YMCA’s new Bethel Park facility will
allow the organization to offer more programming and
serve more residents in the South Hills. “It’s really exciting
for this area,” says Andrew Kowalewski, Marketing Director for
the YMCA.
With a grand opening held on May 1, the Spencer Family
YMCA is located in the former Blade Runners Ice Complex on
Church Road. Construction began a year ago and the project
cost $12 million. It’s named for former YMCA trustee Ambrose
Lawrence “Larry” Spencer who died in 2015. The renovated
facility has been expanded to more than 70,000 square feet and
includes a four-lane lap pool, a family pool with water features,
three group exercise studios, a fitness center, sports court, a com-
munity room and an indoor hockey rink.
“The building is a new tool with which to do our work,” says
Ken Soliday, Regional Executive Director for the YMCA. “It will
have an impact on families and our ability to help people lead a
healthy lifestyle.”
The new YMCA complex is the first full-service facility in the
South Hills. The YMCA is well-known for its swimming classes,
24 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE | Bethel Park
which previously were conducted at local schools and two
outdoor YMCA facilities. The new indoor pools at the Spencer
Family YMCA will enable the organization to offer expanded
programming year-round.
Currently, the YMCA serves about 6,500 residents in the
South Hills and the new facility could prompt that number to
rise. The group exercise rooms will allow the YMCA to offer
a wide variety of fitness activities including kickboxing, yoga,
Zumba, spinning and high-intensity interval training classes. The
classes will be included in the price of membership, and financial
assistance is available to those who qualify. “We’re one Y for all,”
Kowalewski says. “Nobody gets turned away.”
The YMCA will also continue to offer popular features such
as the Y Guide and Y Princess programs. They allow fathers to
carve out time to spend exclusively with their sons and daugh-
ters, respectively. “This is a program that’s had a big impact on
families for generations,” Soliday says.
Camp AIM is another popular program that will continue at
the new facility. It’s a six-week summer camp for children with
special needs and approximately 130 participate each year. “We