YOU: Demolition of Poughkeepsie YMCA begins; what we know, what we don't about new youth hub

Nearly a year after Dutchess County purchased the city of Poughkeepsie's former YMCA property, much has yet to be determined for the planned community hub.

A design for what has been dubbed the "Youth Opportunity Union" is still to be finalized.

Stakeholders are still deciding on what programs and organizations will call the new building on Montgomery Street home, with educational resources becoming more of a priority than when it was first conceived.

And, the cost of building the facility still needs to be determined.

But the county, community members and those involved say they know one thing for sure: Whatever the building becomes should transform lives.

"If we are going to create an opportunity and confront the challenges that face young people and their families, we need a cathedral to do it," said County Executive Marc Molinaro. "A soaring architectural structure that brings people from all across the county into one safe space."

The building, with a multilevel atrium and windowing wall, will have a flexible space, educational programming, recreational facilities, teaching kitchen and possibly an Olympic-sized pool, the only one in the region.

The design team, MASS Design Group, began engaging with the community, mostly families and children, in September, and the process in shaping the plans is ongoing.

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"Over 40% of the respondents that we talked to really wanted to learn things, more than play. The advisory council said the same thing, that they didn't think recreation was enough, but it needed to have spaces for kids to see each other, learn from each other and to learn new things," said Chris Kroner, principal at MASS.

The project last year was promoted as a hub of recreation and behavioral health needs for the youth of the county. It would bring a range of services, including the possibility of a 24-hour daycare, under one roof.

City residents are also hopeful it will become a tool to help curb the ongoing trend of gang activity and gun violence among teens.

The county brought together government officials and project leaders Monday to watch as demolition started on the former YMCA building, a process that could take weeks to compete. A fence decorated with youth-created artwork will cordon off the area.

The county purchased the building from the city last year for $10 and a commitment that it would give $25 million to the project; it estimated at the time another $25 million would need to be fundraised, though an estimate of the final cost has yet to be made. No additional donors are committed to the project yet. Construction is expected to start next year.

"(The YMCA) helped nourish the community for as long as it could, and, just like the Phoenix, its day came and the old building is going down and there's going to be a rebirth," said Dazell Green, vice commander for the Poughkeepsie Tighten Ups Precision Drill Team.

He came, along with other members of this team, to watch the demolition. The drill team, a community group devoted to improving the mental health and well-being of Poughkeepsie's youth, had practiced at the YMCA back in the 1970s and 80s. Green hopes they will again practice at Eastman Park once the YOU is built.

"Give the kids a safe haven, a place to go to where they can feel good and feel safe," he said.

Programs offered

The YOU's advisory board is waiting for the design aspect to be finalized before deciding on what programs to suggest to the county, which has the final decision. The group of several stakeholders from around the county, chaired by L’Quette Taylor, hopes to see a mix of flexible space, which organizations and community members may rent for a fee, and space committed to specific programming for a variety of age groups.

"It could be anything, it could more arts-driven, theater-driven. It could be STEM programming, those are the things we heard loud and clear, families want to have more science and more STEM programming, educational programming to help with their literacy," said Heidi Kirschner, president of the YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County. Kirschner's organization was chosen to operate the YOU, and she also sits on the project's advisory board.

The county has said Harlem's Children Zone has shown interest in the project, along with a variety of other organizations. The inner-city organization works to end intergenerational poverty through early childhood, education and career programs.

Co-founder of DAY ONE Early Learning Community, Geraldine Laybourne, said her organization will also be participating in the YOU, though in what capacity has still to be determined. Laybourne is also part of the YOU's advisory group.

"We may do a version of Harlem Children's Zone Baby College during the day and overnight care, the biggest need in Poughkeepsie currently," Laybourne stated. Many parents, such as those employed at area hospitals, some of the county's biggest employers, work night shifts.

The county's Path to Promise initiative will also have a "significant presence" in the facility. The initiative is a "framework" used to categorize and connect resources with the needs of specific age groups.

The facility would also include programs for adults and seniors during the day when the children are at school, said Kirschner.

What those working on the programming do not want is replicate what is already being offered in the city.

Those advising the county are working on "engaging the community, seeing what's missing and what this building can help with, as far as helping children and the helping the communities involved," said Taylor, who also heads Community Matters 2.

The group is in the process of including representatives from the Hispanic and youth communities.

Construction timeline

The design team has until the end of the year to finalize the design for the YOU, which is when its contract ends.

There is one design, which was unveiled last year, which will be evolving as the team looks at cost and what's needed.

Construction of the building is scheduled to start next year. The advisory group is working on cost estimates of constructing the various designs and whether the building should be built in phases or all at once.

The team is deciding on items such as whether there is need for multiple pools or an Olympic-sized pool, or whether basketball courts will be inside or outside. The pool is one of the components believed to attract residents from around the county.

The building on the property previously housed the city’s YMCA. But, the building has been vacant since 2009 and fell into disrepair. In 2019, the city acquired the property and began seeking proposals for what should replace the deteriorating structure on the three acres of property.

"So much emphasis was put on the YMCA, which has so many recreational components, and now it's actually about all the holistic spaces that allow people to see each one another, to be welcomed together," Kroner said.

Saba Ali: Sali1@poughkeepsiejournal.com: 845-451-4518: @MsSabaAli.

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Youth Opportunity Union: What we know about Dutchess' new hub