YMCA of Washington County is making waves in fundraising for their indoor aquatic center project with two grants recently awarded.

A $3 million Washington County Riverboat Foundation grant was announced last week for phase two of the new YMCA building on West 5th Street in Washington. The Y also received a $100,000 grant from the Wellmark Foundation earlier this month, bringing their funds collected to $5.2 million of the $7.4 million price tag. YMCA of Washington County CEO Amy Schulte is grateful for the continued support from the Riverboat Foundation, as they previously gave $3.5 million for phase one, “The big thing with the YMCA is it has a county-wide impact. In some of the information that we shared with them in our grant application, we have swimmers from seven counties that come to Washington to use our existing pool. So being able to bring a pool that’s twice the size, we’re hoping to increase that impact, exponentially.”

Schulte is hopeful that the newly acquired funds will give the Y greater leverage to secure up to $1.85 million from the Destination Iowa grant program that was launched this spring. Regardless, she looks forward to breaking ground in 2023 for the facility to open in 2024, on the 100th anniversary of the current YMCA pool’s opening. Designs include a six-lane lap pool, zero-depth entry, recreational and therapy pool, whirlpool, and sauna, with the opportunity to expand competitive swim events in Washington and other swim programs.