Surprise gift jump-starts YMCA pool renovation

The Feith Family Ozaukee YMCA in Saukville received an unexpected Christmas present that will help fund a $2.25 million, five-year facility improvement project. 

The gift is a $300,000 matching grant from an anonymous donor that will help pay for $600,000 in improvements to the facility’s swimming pool.

“We did not expect it, but we’re grateful for it,” Robin Malek, donor relations director for the Kettle Moraine YMCA, which owns the Ozaukee Y, said.

The grant will cover about half the cost of the pool improvements and allow the YMCA to complete the project in one year rather than over a number of years, she said.

The pool at the Feith Family Y was built when the facility was constructed 25 years ago, Malek said.

“It’s near the end of its life,” she said. 

The plan is to replace the plaster, install non-slip deck flooring to enhance safety, retile the whirlpool, add LED lighting to increase visibility and energy efficiency and refresh the children’s area with a new slide and water play features such as a water table, she said.

While it will be improved, the pool won’t be expanded — something the Y had explored years ago — Malek said.

“We ran into some limitations with the Department of Natural Resources,” she said. That work would require expanding the building to the west, which would interfere with wetlands in the area.

“We have a lot of swimmers who would like (an expanded pool),” she said. “Instead we’re going to make the space we have better.”

The updates are intended to improve safety, accessibility and make the pool a fun place for people of all ages, she said, noting the pool is a vital amenity at the Y.

“It’s the only zero-depth entry pool in the area, which means it’s very accessible for anyone with limited mobility and for children,” Malek said. “It’s a very nice community asset, and we’re excited to make it more useful and more exciting for the community.”

YMCA officials are reaching out to foundations and corporate partners, as well as private donors, to try and raise the $300,000 needed for the matching grant, Malek said.

Proceeds from the Y’s golf outing in June are also earmarked for the project, she said.

“After that, we’ll see what else needs to be done (to raise the funds),” Malek said.

If the fundraising effort is successful, the pool will be renovated in fall and winter of 2026, the same time the YMCA replaces its parking lot as part of the $2.25 million project.

The parking lot work is expected to cost $625,000, Malek said, adding this project is already fully funded.

In addition to that, the YMCA plans to replace the roof of the facility in two phases — the first in early 2026 and the remainder in 2027.

The final portion of the project will be renovations to the men’s and women’s locker rooms, a project slated for 2029, Malek said.

The upcoming renovations are in addition to $3 million in recent investments to the YMCA, including improvements to the heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, around-the-clock access to the Y, a modernized child care center and expanded wellness spaces, according to information provided by the Y.