The Wheeling YMCA has completed the first phase of its ambitious $7 million expansion project, marking a significant milestone for the community-focused organization.

The expansion comes after the YMCA experienced record highs in membership, childcare, and program participation, prompting officials to launch a capital campaign last November.

“The addition was supposed to be put on back in 2000,” Executive Director Adam Shinsky said. “SNF funding fell through a long time ago back in 2000, so we wanted to show the community that hey we are doing the construction and that work was getting done, did the silent phase then started going after grants and community gifts and now we are over 55% of our goal now.”


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Wheeling YMCA breaks ground on capital campaign for major expansion

With the completion of Phase One, the YMCA now boasts a brand new lobby, gym, and an extended childcare room. The next phase will introduce a state-of-the-art fitness center on the second floor.

“There’s a walking track up there, we’ll have a state of the art weight room with brand new equipment, we’ll have an all purpose room where our current weight room is now for youth and adult speed training, all of our group fitness classes which are very popular down here, we are currently gutting our back gym which is the bigger gym, all new baskets, all purpose floor in there, then doing all the work upstairs,” Shinsky said.

Shinsky also highlighted the overwhelming community support and noted that donations are still welcome as they continue to work toward their goal. The Wheeling YMCA, one of eight in West Virginia and older than the state itself, aims to serve the community for the next 160 years and beyond.

“After we got closed down because of the COVID pandemic and we reopened, we’ve seen an all time high in everything, so we went as a board and as an organization and we said if we are going to serve the Wheeling area for the next 160 plus years we have to expand and provide more services to more people and we are,” Shinsky said.

The full project is set to be completed in early 2026.