The city of Port Neches may get a YMCA. This after the city approached the YMCA of Southeast Texas about possibly using the old armory building located at 511 Grigsby Avenue for a new branch. City officials tell 12 News HD, the city and the YMCA are in the very early stages of this project. The YMCA is performing a feasibility study that just went online Monday, January 14, to find out if opening a new branch of the "Y" in Port Neches will fill a need and be viable.
Spreading the focus on the healthy family is what the YMCA of Southeast Texas has in it's sites and personal trainer, aerobics instructor and mother of four, Michele Humphrey is focused on that too telling 12 News HD, "When you put a place closer and you get a closer knit family, that's always to be desired."
The desire for proximity is a key reason the "Y" is doing a 10 question feasibility survey. Executive Director of the YMCA of Southeast Texas, Pete Hicks says, "First we want to know if they are a member. Secondly what they are interested in and thirdly, what else are they looking for in the community."
Currently the Port Arthur location serves 7,500 members and 10,000 participants. Hicks says they will be looking for certain measures when they get surveys back. "And we're starting to get data back to see first of all if membership is sustainable. The "Y" is a membership organization and we have to definitely make sure since we are nonprofit, that we have enough members to pay the light bill, to keep the YMCA going throughout the year."
At least 600 of the Port Arthur members live in Port Neches. Michele Humphrey and her family is one of those. As a mom she likes the location the armory would provide nestled between PN-G High School on one side and Port Neches Riverfront Park on the other. She says, "I think the closeness to the high school is going to be great for my high schooler and my oldest is at Lamar and she uses this. So just being a little bit closer to the house and just having other opportunities, possibly different programs there, that's what's exciting."
But results of the survey will determine whether the YMCA motto of mind body and spirit will make a connection in Port Neches.
That survey went home with school aged children and was also mailed out to 6,000 Port Neches residents but you can also complete it online. Port Neches has it on their city web site and the YMCA has it on theirs as well. You have until January 31st to fill out the survey.
YMCA officials say it will take about two weeks to complete the results of the survey and then they will make a presentation to the city council regarding the feasibility of using the armory. They say they need about 600 members to show interest and after that, if it is feasible YMCA officials say the city and the "Y" would move forward with funding and renovation.
