The Henry County Board of Supervisors received a $500,000 funding request from the Martinsville-Henry County Family YMCA for its proposed new facility, along with an update on the project, during its Jan. 28 meeting.
YMCA Director and CEO Brad Kinkema said the funds would support the construction of a splash pad, designed as a recreational space for both YMCA members and the broader community.
“We hope to make that not only an amenity for ‘Y members but for city and county residents,” Kinkema said. “In most municipalities, if you do a study on what they want in the community as far as parks and rec, a splash park is the number one thing.”
Kinkema also plans to request $500,000 from the Martinsville City Council at its February meeting. He noted that the funding does not have to be provided in full upfront and could be distributed over several years.
“Certainly, we need to frontload things because we would like to start construction in a year and a half and need to have the funding, but we have spread some investments out over time,” he said.
Board Chairman Jim Adams, of the Blackberry District, said the request will be considered during the upcoming budget season.
The new YMCA facility, to be located on a seven-acre property on Memorial Boulevard, will include:
- An early learning childcare center licensed for up to 94 children, including infant and toddler care.
- A full-service YMCA with two swimming pools to accommodate youth swim lessons and local swim teams.
- A gymnasium featuring three half-courts to address the shortage of available basketball space.
- Pickleball and basketball courts, as well as other multipurpose sports areas.
- A child watch area for parents to drop off children while they exercise.
- A wellness center with modern fitness equipment, group exercise studios, and an indoor walking track.
“You may know that we do the first-grade learning swim with every Henry County school,” Kinkema said. “They come from the school, we give them a swim lesson, and they go back to school. Including Martinsville City Public Schools and Carlisle School, we give over 700 kids swim lessons through that program.”
Kinkema added that the Magna Vista and Bassett High School swim teams also train and compete at the YMCA.
The second-floor wellness center will include newer amenities to meet demand, with treadmills overlooking either the pool or the parking lot. It will also feature two group exercise studios for yoga, Pilates, and spinning classes.
The indoor walking track is expected to be a highly used feature, particularly by local seniors.
“We have over 1,000 seniors that come to the ‘Y, and they love walking on the track. They used to go to the mall, and now they come to the ‘Y and hang out,” Kinkema said.
The estimated cost of the new YMCA facility is $28 million. More than half of the funding has already been secured, including:
$12 million from the Harvest Foundation
$5 million from a community fundraising campaign
Additionally, the YMCA is optimistic about securing a $2 million federal allocation through Rep. Morgan Griffith’s office, once the federal budget is passed later this year.
There is funding potential through the Appalachian Regional Commission, “we’ve put in a planning grant to the CDBG (Community Development Block Grant Programs), and then we’ve also applied to a variety of foundations and funding requests,” Kinkema said.
“If the stars align, by late March, we could be at $20 million in commitments. Every day, we’re working on one of these aspects to raise more funds and move this project along,” he added.
In addition to the YMCA discussion, the Henry County Board of Supervisors recognized Brian and Kandy DeShazo received the Community Connected Citizen Award for their volunteer work as youth sports coaches.
“Brian and Kandy DeShazo have volunteered thousands of hours in our community serving as youth coaches for various sports,” said Roger Adams, Director of Henry County Parks & Recreation. “They are the perfect role models for all youth sports coaches and they have impacted so many children in our community and provided a positive experience for those children. Athletics can play a vital role in developing children’s social, cognitive, and physical skill,s and having people of DeShazo’s character makes a huge positive impact on our community.”
In other matters, the board:
*Approved three appropriations that will allocate more than $3 million toward capital projects to support education, public safety, and economic development. These funds will provide for a new roof at Laurel Park Middle School, a new ambulance for the Department of Public Safety, and engineering services to extend Beaver Creek Drive in the Patriot Centre Industrial Park.
“These projects are crucial investments in our community’s future,” Adams said. “Replacing the roof at Laurel Park Middle School ensures a safe learning environment for our students while purchasing a new ambulance strengthens our public safety services. Extending the road in the Patriot Centre will improve safety in our industrial park and open up new opportunities for economic growth, benefiting both businesses and residents alike.”
Approximately $2.66 million of the approved funds will go towards the replacement of the roof at Laurel Park. The lowest bid for the project was submitted by John T. Morgan Roofing, of Roanoke. The base bid was for $2.1 million, and the remainder will serve as a contingency fund for the project. Funding for the project was provided through the additional 1% sales tax funds to support new construction and major renovations for the school system. Another $6.6 million of the fund is available for other facility improvement needs and the fund accrues approximately $5.5 million annually.
*Awarded a $325,444 contract to Vest Sales and Services to purchase a 2024 Ford F550 4×4 Osage Ambulance. This purchase will replace an existing ambulance that has reached the end of its life with 14 years on the modular box and 7 years on the chassis. Finally, the Board awarded a $79,500 contract to Wiley-Wilson, of Lynchburg, to provide engineering services for the Beaver Creek Drive Extension project. Funding for the project was previously appropriated as part of a $100,000 Economic Development Access grant through the Virginia Department of Transportation.
The project will include the extension of two lanes of Beaver Creek Drive to the next crossover and then back to the existing westbound lanes of Beaver Creek Drive. This new roadway consists of 5,122 linear feet (0.97 miles) along with the necessary drainage and striping features. Along with increasing efficiency and reducing safety concerns, the roadway extension will also provide access to Lots 11-16, which represents the next phase of development for the Patriot Centre Industrial Park.
- Appropriated $12,500 received from ValleyStar Credit Union for sponsorship in the Strategic Economic Environmental Design (S.E.E.D.) Beautification Program. The funds will be used to maintain the ValleyStar Sponsor Garden located at the intersection of U.S. 220 South and 58 West.
- Approved a transfer appropriation of $40,000 from the Commonwealth Attorney’s State Asset Forfeiture Fund to the Sheriff’s Office budget to purchase 24 body-worn cameras for criminal investigations, civil process, VICE, and court security divisions.
- Approved the sale of the old school bus garage, at 119 Coffman Drive in Collinsville, to Meeks Commercial Properties, LLC., for $206,000.
- Approved the rezoning of approximately 2.34 acres in the Horsepasture District from Suburban Residential (S-R) to Agricultural District (A-1). The applicant wishes to use the property for agricultural purposes.
*Heard from Public Safety Director Matt Tatum about dry conditions in the area and heightened fire risk.
*Heard from Doug Stegall about three intersections he believes should be added to the county’s SmartScale project list.
*Heard from Clifford Stone about the need to remove yard sale signs after the sale is over.
