About 200 people attended a groundbreaking for the new Cathy Gero Bangor Region YMCA on Friday.
The new, three-story facility on Main Street will be 82,000 square feet, twice the size of the existing YMCA facility on Second Street.
The nearly $58 million expansion will allow the YMCA to double the size of its early childhood program, grow its before- and after-school programs, and expand its child care program to accept children as young as 6 weeks old.
The building will contain two pools, a full-court gym and indoor track, other fitness facilities, a cafe, a community kitchen and food pantry, and other amenities.
“This is a great day for the region. This is a great day for Bangor. This is a great day for the Bangor YMCA,” Mayor Rick Fournier said.
“A strong YMCA is the cornerstone of a strong community,” he said. “Bangor is fortunate to have a Y that is already strong in services, in staff, in opportunities. Today we break ground on an even stronger Y with a vision for the state of the art facilities, bigger programs, more space, more opportunities for everyone.”
The facility will be named in memory of Cathy Gero, a longtime Bangor YMCA member and supporter who died from cancer in 2022 — is expected to open in 2027.
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who attended the event, said the expansion “carries on the great Y tradition of combining fun with fitness.
“But the real story of the Y is its focus on addressing challenges,” Collins said. “In a world that too often seems to be only about problems, the Y is all about solutions.”