The CLC YMCA gymnastics program might be on the move.
According to a newsletter from the Y, the youth gymnastics program will relocate from the main facility in Damariscotta to the YMCA Child Care Center on Route 1 in Nobleboro as part of the Y’s master facility plan.
“The program would continue to run as it always has,” CLC YMCA CEO Meagan Hamblett said. “We would just be expanding opportunities.”
Currently the gymnastics practice space is located at the main facility on a balcony overlooking the basketball court. Coach Janice Cormier-Hay said that by moving the gymnastics program, the team could have more practice space.
“The current space does have its limitations and difficulties,” Cormier-Hay said. “We have about 120 students in sessions right now, including 30 kids on the team. The potential for better equipment and space is something we would look forward to.”
The Y was previously looking to sell the building in Nobleboro and relocate the child care center due to the fact that only one-third of the space was being utilized. Hamblett said recreating the space Nobleboro currently has available for the gymnastics program at the main facility in Damariscotta would not have been financially responsible.
According to the newsletter, the two-story unused portion of the child care center will be renovated to a “state-of-the-art gymnastics center” and would include equipment the gymnastics program previously was not able to have.
“In the main facility, they didn’t have enough floor space, so they would put mats on the gym to practice,” Hamblett said. “It wasn’t exactly the same as a spring floor, but they made do. The new facility will have all the amenities, including the spring floor and new equipment as well as plenty of parking.”
Hamblett said the current gymnastics space will become known as the Healthy Living Center and house the cardio equipment and free weights all in one location.
Cormier-Hay said the gymnastics program practices year-round and competes from November to the end of May. She said she was unsure if the facility in Nobleboro would allow competitions to take place.
“In order to host competitions, there would need to be a lot of space for the public to come and watch,” Cormier-Hay said. “The new facility would be an upgrade in space for training, but I don’t think we’ll have competitions.”
Hamblett said although the move to Nobleboro would not happen until all the funds for the master facility plan have been raised, the gymnastics renovation would be one of the first things to be completed.
“We would have to move the program out in order to start the renovation at the main facility,” Hamblett said.
As previously reported by The Lincoln County News, the master facility plan, which includes the construction of a pool as part of a major addition and renovation project, is projected to cost between $8.4 million and $9.39 million. According to the newsletter, the Y hopes to meet its fundraising goal for the master facility plan by December 2016.
Cormier-Hay said that although the parents are happy and curious about the possibility of the move, there are currently more important things to focus on.
“It’s a long ways away, from what I’ve been told, so we don’t talk about it much,” Cormier-Hay said. “Right now we’re just focusing on training.”
