The YMCA of San Benito County hosted an open house at their new
facility in the former Fortino’s building on Tres Pinos Road a week
ago.
The YMCA of San Benito County hosted an open house at their new facility in the former Fortino’s building on Tres Pinos Road a week ago.
The event drew out community members, city and county officials and business leaders for tours of the new location as well as a short ribbon-cutting ceremony that honored people who have been integral in the growth of the YMCA through the years.
“We will be able to impact teen, middle-schoolers and preschoolers more,” said Rochelle Callis, the vice president of the Northern region of the Central Coast YMCA, which includes San Benito and Watsonville. “With the equipment we will be able to help our members achieve a healthier lifestyle.”
Callis said the new location, which she said will be the home of the YMCA for three to five years as plans continue for a larger permanent site, will help the staff meet the main goals of the YMCA. The goals include youth development, promoting healthy lifestyles and social responsibility.
The staff offered tours of the facility, and light refreshments provided by The Elegant Touch were laid out in each room, including sandwiches, chocolate-covered strawberries and vegetables.
The new location, which was the former Fortino’s furniture store with an open floor plan, took plenty of renovations to break up the space into different rooms. The YMCA will occupy the second story. The new location has a child center room, which will be used for preschool programs. The space has a bright colored carpet, western-themed characters on the wall and plenty of color.
“We can use that for Move and Groove,” said Kristie Agan, the regional program director.
There is also a community room, geared toward teens and middle-school students, that has a few couches and a Nintendo Wii as well spaces for students to work on homework.
See the full story in the Pinnacle on Friday.
