West Palm Beach, Fla. – The YMCA of the Palm Beaches (YMCA) has finalized an agreement with Palm Beach County that authorizes the YMCA to lease approximately five acres in Lake Lytal Park from the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department for 50 years with one 50year extension option.

LOBBY LOOK: The Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department and YMCA of the Palm Beaches have teamed to develop new facilities and amenities including a fitness center at Lake Lytal Park.

The partnership will bring new facilities, amenities and improvements to Lake Lytal Park, operated by the Parks and Recreation Department at 3645 Gun Club Road in West Palm Beach.

The new facilities will include:

• A state-of-the-art health & fitness facilities with expanded equipment offerings

• A new Aquatics Center with a competition pool, dive well and other water-based recreational activities

• Expansive community gathering place for wellness-focused

classes and programs

• An Olympic-style skate park and training facility

• A High-tech Teen Center with a STEM Lab, music recording & arts studio, mentoring & job training, teaching kitchen, and a child care center

The anticipated timeline will be:

• Phases l & II: Aquatics, Skate Park, Community Center, and Health & Fitness Facilities, 2024

• Phase II: Indoor Gymnasium and Childcare Center, 2025 The agreement ensures that both PBC Parks and the YMCA construct facilities and infrastructure improvements at their own expense. The YMCA is currently lining up major donors who might want their namesake attached to the vital community center, located along the busiest east-west corridor in the county (Southern Boulevard), leaving a legacy for years to come.

“We look forward to this cooperative project at Lake Lytal Park being a shining example of how these types of collaborative relationships can greatly benefit the community,” said Tim Coffield, CEO and president of YMCA of the Palm Beaches. “We are grateful for the leadership of county staff, the support of our county commissioners, and we are excited to bring our collective vision to fruition.”

Eric Call, county Parks and Recreation Department director, also affirmed that the possibility to partner with the YMCA to develop the shared world-class recreation facilities “is a distinctive and timely opportunity that will benefit the residents of Palm Beach County for years to come.”

In addition, within two years of the county’s completion of the aquatic facility inside Lake Lytal Park, the YMCA will take over staffing, programming, and operational management of the facility, which is projected to significantly reduce PBC Parks’ operational expenses.

Visit pbcparks.com or ymcapalmbeaches.org.