Stephens Family YMCA partnered with the nonprofit Larkin’s Place to create a community center that welcomes everyone. Universal design standards were incorporated into every aspect of the facility — from the color palette, sensory rooms and art studios to therapy pools and the country’s first accessible water slide — resulting in a calm and welcoming environment for multigenerational recreation.
Using generous donations from the local community, the YMCA and Larkin’s Place were able to provide a new 75,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility. Among the facility components are three indoor pool tanks, a gymnasium, a wellness center, a childcare and after-school classroom wing, a teen center, multipurpose rooms, an indoor walking/jogging track, exercise studios, and a two-story indoor climbing wall. Immediately adjacent to municipal park venues, the new site offers opportunities to partner with the city for outdoor programming and activities on both existing ballfields and new fields developed as part of the project.
