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With six months left until the construction is finished at the Mahackeno facility, the Family Y is celebrating the excavation of our two adjoining pools at the heart of the Strittmatter Family Aquatic Center. Excavators recently began scooping down into the dirt floor to create the two pool vessels – the underwater shells for the 10-lane, 25-yard lap pool and the adjacent warm-water pool that will be used for teaching, aqua exercise and recreational swimming.
The building is enclosed and supplied with temporary heat, which has allowed Turner Construction to continue work through this cold, snowy winter. Leaving the pool excavation until now enabled workers to finish such tasks as installing the ventilation ducts, electrical systems and lighting underneath the natatorium’s soaring ceiling.
"With the new Y’s interior spaces taking shape, our construction/design partners are proceeding with the next phase of the project – finalizing the building’s furniture and fixtures," a press release said. "The Y is fortunate to have some expert help on this front. They include Anita Aubertine, Interiors Team Leader for Daxko T2 Consulting, which works with Ys across the country; Mark Minkley of Zubatkin Owner Representation, the firm that has helped guide our Y through the construction process; and Miggs Burroughs."
Burroughs, a nationally known graphic designer is serving as the Y’s curator.
“We’re a ways away from the ribbon cutting, but now we can see the capability that all this brick and mortar will bring to the Y for the next 90 years,” said Steve Halstead, a member of the Y’s volunteer Construction Committee has been on-site every week over the past year. “It’s a shift from thinking about the process of building a building, to being able to see what the building is all about -- the spaces where the next generation of kids will learn to swim, find competitive outlets, healthy living opportunities and choices.”
The new Y will begin as a 54,000-square-foot building, to be known as the Bedford Family Center. In addition to the Aquatic Center, the facility will include the Robin Tauck Wellness Center, with expansive views of the Saugatuck River and a multipurpose gymnasium for basketball, volleyball and racquet sports, including Pickleball.
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