MARQUETTE, MI-- The YMCA of Marquette County is getting a $2,997,000 loan from USDA Rural Development.
The loan was announced Wednesday by U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow.
YMCA CEO Lisa Coombs-Gerou says the money will be used to construct two new gyms targeting health innovation, wellness, and youth activities, a gymnastics area, and an expanded wellness area. She says the loan will allow the “Y” to focus even more on such issues as diabetes prevention, childhood obesity, and others.
“[Like] healthy living, our smoking cessation classes, our Live Wise classes, our Live Strong classes with cancer survivors—we’ve been serving the needs of the community,” she says. “So with this loan we’re able to move forward and provide some services in the community that we have just not been able to. And the other piece that’s so important is the youth activities. We’re going to have a lot of space to some additional pieces for kids.”
Coombs-Gerou says the YMCA will break ground on the projects this summer. Officials hope to have them completed in the next year.
