BAKER CITY — Koby Myer chuckled a bit at the idea of a groundbreaking for the Baker County YMCA’s new gymnasium.

The traditional symbolism of digging into dirt didn’t quite apply — the concrete floor was already in place.

But there was a patch of dirt, just beyond the gym’s footprint, where the golden shovels could break the ground.

The celebration was Oct. 29. Myer, the Y’s CEO, shared information about the project, followed by refreshments and cider.

This project is about a decade in the making, Myer said.

“We’re pretty excited to get this started,” he said.

Work began in mid-October on the new gym, just south of the YMCA fitness center, 3715 Pocahontas Road. W. Harvey General Contracting is the contractor.

Also called the Family Center, the new space will measure 8,400 square feet with a full-size basketball court, bathrooms, concessions, bleachers to seat 275, and a balcony area for additional programs.

The court will have lines for basketball, volleyball and pickleball, Myer said.

“Our goal is to make this available seven days a week for families and the community,” he said. “There are endless possibilities.”

The steel building is ordered and should arrive in three to four weeks, he said. Construction will take about a week, then the interior work will begin.

“It’s actually happening,” he said.

Project cost so far, which includes the new expanded parking lot, is $450,000, which includes grants, donations and community partnerships.

“We owe a big thank-you to our community members and supporters,” he said.

The Y has rented a gym beside St. Francis de Sales Cathedral for years. Myer said that once the new gym is open, the Y will shift programs to the new space.

The YMCA recently launched a capital campaign to raise $135,000 for these facility features:

• $100,000 for the gymnasium floor.
• $15,000 for bleachers.
• $20,000 for basketball hoop expenses.

Myer said information about sponsorship opportunities will be available soon at the Y, and these include:

• $250 or more for a place on the Giving Wall.
• $250 to buy a step with a plaque.
• $1,500 for a full set of bleachers.
• $5,000 floor sponsors.
• Any amount that can be earmarked for general building funds, bleachers, floor or basketball hoops.

He is also pursuing grants to help with the capital campaign goal.

“If it wasn’t for Koby and our members, this project wouldn’t get off the floor,” David Kassien, YMCA board president, said during the ceremony. “This took a lot of effort.”

A century of the Y

To mark the expansion, the Y will display historic photos and news articles documenting the YMCA’s presence in Baker City. Also, it will exhibit jerseys from the early 1900s on loan from the Baker Heritage Museum.

The first YMCA in Baker City was at 2005 Valley Ave., in the building now occupied by the Veterans Memorial Club. According to a historic photo in the Baker County Public Library collection, the building was constructed in 1912 with a swimming pool on the ground floor and a gymnasium on the second floor.

These days, Myer said, the YMCA is mostly in towns with populations of over 30,000.

“We’re so lucky to have a Y in Baker,” he said.