Cane Bay YMCA, the largest facility of its kind in the Lowcountry, will finally open to the public this month. The six-year-long project was delayed in its final months due to complications from weather.
But the long-awaited 54,000-square-foot site, complete with amenities and resources designed to serve anyone, regardless of age or physical ability, is scheduled to open on Saturday.
“The community has been very patient and very supportive and we are looking forward to being open next week and excited about what we’re able to bring to the community,” said Paul Stoney, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Charleston and Cane Bay Family YMCA.
Cane Bay YMCA is unique for several reasons — first for its grand size. The building and its outdoor recreation fields span 34 acres, only half of the acreage donated by Cane Bay Plantation.
“There are no other YMCAs like this in the country that are on 69 acres,” Stoney said. It’s the largest land donation to a YMCA other than for camps.”
The remaining 35 acres will be developed during phase two of the project, which will take place sometime in the next three years, said YMCA officials.
The eight-lane, 25-meter pool has a zero depth entry and an ADA-approved lift chair. Both features allow people with disabilities to enter the water on their own, Stoney said.
One of the facility’s most notable features is the on-site public library, complete with meeting rooms and other spaces to relax, read, learn and socialize. The Cane Bay YMCA signed a 20-year agreement with the Berkeley County Public Library System to operate the 5,000-square-foot literary addition; and it was because of the partnership — ironing out the details — that Stoney said the facility’s opening was delayed a year.
The library is also the only one in a YMCA nationwide that was built from the inception of construction; and according to Stoney, offering the community a library inside the YMCA building will promote “the overall goal of healthy living — which is spirit, mind and body.”
“We want to make sure people have every opportunity to be spiritually connected and healthy and also emotionally and mentally healthy,” he said.
Just across from the library is the TRX room, equipped with sports training equipment, and a nearby spin room and aerobic rooms that can be converted into one large room. At 7,200 square feet, the fitness room is another prominent space.
Stoney also touted the large gymnasium, where sports-playing enthusiasts can burn calories playing a number of different sports. The floor is lined for games of basketball, pickleball and volleyball. The gym additionally features a stage for special performances and events; and an indoor track, 1/16th in size, circles the second floor.
“Our gymnasium is extremely flexible and can also double as a banquet hall for over 400 people,” Stoney said.
But people can also participate in pickleball outdoors, on one of the YMCA’s 15 courts — in addition to six tennis courts, outdoor recreation fields for soccer, flag football, kickball, and two baseball/softball fields. And it doesn’t matter what time of day members or guests choose to utilize the courts or fields during facility hours, because each one is well-lit after dark, Stoney said.
Stoney said the dance studio will hold 200 people, and he’s hired Zumba instructor and education specialist, Priscila Sartori, to coordinate classes.
The YMCA facility also boasts a pavilion, including a wet bar, that can be rented for weddings, corporate retreats and other special events.
A $28 million project, the Cane Bay Family YMCA was funded from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Program, with CresCom Bank providing the construction loan. The YMCA of Greater Charleston threw a capital campaign to raise $5 million for the effort.
The new YMCA will also be vital in funding — through its revenue — two other area YMCA sites: Cannon Street YMCA and Berkeley County YMCA.
Membership rates range from monthly drafts of $30 for students to a family rate of $80. Discounts are available for both active and retired military members, as well as civil servants — teachers included.
“We’ve got a variety of advantages, we just want the community to be involved,” Stoney said.
YMCA officials also plan to offer free Friday teen nights in the community — regardless of whether they’re members.
“I think that’s a novel idea because children are always in need of a place to be,” Stoney said.
A grand opening event will take place 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The Cane Bay Family YMCA is located at 1655 Cane Bay Boulevard, near the Cane Bay Plantation subdivision.
