Campaign paves way for YMCA pool overhaul

The pool at the Feith Family Ozaukee YMCA in Saukville will close in late August for a major renovation — the first since the facility opened 25 years ago.

The pool will be closed throughout the fall, with the grand opening for the renovated facility tentatively slated for Jan. 1.

The layout of the pool won’t be changed, but many of the amenities will be, Robin Malek, donor relations director for the Kettle Moraine YMCA, which owns the Feith Family Y, said.

“We will make it more family friendly,” she said, and add safety features. “We’re very excited about this. We think this will bring in more families, more members and increase our swim lesson program.”

The renovations are made possible by a $600,000 fundraising campaign that was fueled by a $300,000 matching grant from a county resident who asked to remain anonymous.

The Y reached the fundraising goal earlier this month, but there are plans to continue raising money to pay for mechanical issues that were uncovered as the project progressed.

The Y hopes to raise another $900,000, for that work, Malek said.

The improvements that are being funded by the original campaign include replacing the pool deck, adding new water play features for children, including two slides, a water spray and a swing for toddlers, new pool plaster, new tile in the whirlpool and new lighting.

One of the new slides will be a lighthouse, funded by Port Washington State Bank, and the other is a ship.

Malek noted that the existing pool deck is buckling in places and the plaster is starting to come up.

And when light bulbs go out, the Y has to close the pool and drain it to replace them, Teri Kermendy, the Y’s communications and marketing director, said, noting they are located over the water.

“The members go crazy when we have to shut the pool down for two weeks to change the lights,” Malek said, noting they wait until a number of the bulbs need to be replaced before that happens.

“It’s a project.,” she said, adding that the new lighting will be located on the sides of the pool.

The pool isn’t the only thing being upgraded at the Y. The parking lot will also be replaced, with an improved surface, new walkways and lighting. Additional parking spaces will also be incorporated into the design.

The parking lot will be repaired in phases over eight weeks as the pool work is done.

Malek said that while there isn’t a good time to do the pool repairs, Y officials are waiting until after the summer camp season to do the work.

There are 800 summer day campers in Ozaukee County, most of whom spend at least one day a week at the pool, she said.

And with fewer people visiting the Y to use the pool, she said, officials are confident there won’t be an issue with reducing parking as the lot is rebuilt.

During the renovation, the Y is encouraging members to use the three pools at its West Washington branch in West Bend, where additional swim lessons will be scheduled.

The Saukville facility will expand its slate of group exercise classes and youth programming through the fall as the pool is renovated.

“This project is about so much more than a pool and a parking lot,” Rob Johnson, CEO of the Kettle Moraine YMCA, said. “It’s about creating a safe, welcoming space where children learn lifesaving skills, families spend time together, older adults stay healthy and active and everyone in our community has access to the benefits of aquatics.”

It took the Y seven months to reach its $600,000 fundraising goal, and Malek said its success demonstrated the support the YMCA has in the community.

The Feith Family Y, which has 7,000 members, received contributions from more than 150 individual donors, she said.

The pool and parking lot improvements are only the beginning. Malek said the Y also plans to replace its roof in the next several years and make improvements to its locker rooms after that.