Work continues on plans to build a youth center for Dutchess County at 35 Montgomery St., in Poughkeepsie, formerly the site of the YMCA. The county purchased the site from the city about two years ago. The cost of the project is now estimated at $70 million.
The plans by designer MASS Design Group include a competitive pool, a family pool, a gymnasium housing a basketball court and elevated track, an early learning and childcare center, a fitness center, a smart lab, a community room, meeting rooms and a café with teaching kitchen. The new facility has been dubbed YOU, standing for Youth Opportunity Union.
“The YOU will provide a holistic approach that encompasses the entire spectrum of a child”™s life; bringing together nutrition and wellness, family learning and social interactions with neighbors and the community at large,” said Dutchess County Executive William F.X. O”™Neil. “This comprehensive focus will positively impact individual and collective community youth development.”
Members of the county legislature were briefed on the project at a meeting of the Public Works and Capital Projects Committee.
Dutchess County pledged $25 million toward the project. In April, the county received formal support from Rep. Pat Ryan, who is recommending $3 million in federal funds through the Congressionally Directed Spending program for Fiscal Year 2024. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer requested $10 million for the YOU through the Senate Committee on Appropriations. A fundraising effort is currently being developed in partnership with the Dyson Foundation.
The legislators were told that anticipated construction costs have increased as the construction industry deals with delays and higher materials costs in the wake of Covid. No commitment was made on a construction timetable for the new building.
