By Maggie FitzRoy
The Brown Family YMCA in Ponte Vedra Beach opened in 1999. Now, in time for its 25th anniversary, a $4.1 million renovation of the community cornerstone at 170 Landrum Lane has begun.
Renovations, which began July 28, are planned throughout the entire facility. They will include an updated KidZone, a revamped wellness space, revamped locker rooms, a refreshed Welcome Center, automatic doors at the front entrance, new paint and flooring, a new cycling studio and new cycling bikes, a brand-new recovery room, updated bathrooms, resurfaced pool deck, new wellness equipment, upgraded audio-visual/sound systems, and an Airnasium.
“An Airnasium is a gym with no walls,” Executive Director Cara Roach said. The large outdoor multifunctional space will have a ceiling, fans, and turf, and will be located between the pool and the rear of the building. Basketball, pickleball, dancing, fitness classes, summer camp activities and more will be able to be held there. “Right now, we have 700 kids who play basketball here and this will provide additional space,” Roach said.
Throughout, “we are updating all the lighting, furniture, and technology — especially for the Wellness Center, where we are adding an eGym,” she said. In the eGym, members will get a wrist band calibrated to their individual fitness goals and “the wrist band will remember your settings on a machine and automatically adjust to them for you.” The wrist band will be included in members’ YMCA membership. Additional changes will include upgraded weight machines, free weights, and cardio free-motion treadmills that will mimic going up and down hills.
The new Recovery Room will feature four two-person red light saunas. A CryoLounge Recovery Chair will provide cold and heat treatments for post-workout treatment of sore muscles and minor aches. And a HydroMassage Chair will offer full body heated massages for wellness and muscle recovery.
Roach said fundraising for the renovations began in 2021 and by the time construction began at the end of July all but $73,000 had been raised. She credits the generosity of the community, the strong efforts of the capital campaign committee volunteers, and major donors.
Top donors include the Brown Family, Steve and Laurie Austin, the Newman Family, the Chartrand family, the Horschel family, and the Furyk family.
During renovations, slated to be finished by January 2026, the YMCA will remain open for members, who will be able to track progress on the website at www.fcymca.org.
“Classes will be moved as needed but for the most part we will be running classes close to our original schedule,” Roach said. Members will also be able to use other First Coast YMCA locations.
