YMCA gets Land in Hill for new Facility

Now that the board of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh has agreed to sell 18 parcels of land on Center Ave in the Hill District, the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh says it is just about ready to break ground on a new full-service facility. YMCA CFO Bill Jones says bids are coming in for the construction work and he expects to have a contract with the URA and the builder in place in the next 30 days. Jones says the 42,000 square foot facility will include a pool, gym facilities and programming space. He says the neighborhood is an underserved area when it comes to the type of services the YMCA can provide. “This market has been screaming for this type of facility,” says Jones. The YMCA has been working on the project for more than two years and already holds title on one parcel in the 2100 block of Center Ave where the building will be erected. The URA is giving up the vacant parcels it holds for $237,250. Jones says the total price tag for the project is expected to come in somewhere around $12 million. He hopes to break ground in August and then cut a ribbon on the facility 15 months later. The facility will be named after lifetime Hill activist Thelma Lovette.