South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South County YMCA facility renovations reinvest in community, adding amenities

Members+of+the+board+that+funded+the+YMCA+updates+include%2C+from+left+to+right%2C+CEO+Tim+Helm%2C+Executive+Director+Jeni+Koenigsfeld%2C+Larry+Felton%2C+Tim+Emert%2C+Dan+Pogue+and+Vice+President+Matt+Clark.+
Members of the board that funded the YMCA updates include, from left to right, CEO Tim Helm, Executive Director Jeni Koenigsfeld, Larry Felton, Tim Emert, Dan Pogue and Vice President Matt Clark.

The South County YMCA is celebrating $1.25 million in renovations, which were officially unveiled at a ribbon-cutting in March. 

“The Y serves as a hub where non-profits, for-profits, schools, municipalities, hospitals, libraries and so many other organizations can partner together to meet community needs,” said Lindbergh Superintendent Tony Lake, a  South County YMCA board member, in a news release. “These investments will only improve the Y’s ability to serve the community. The Y is collaborative in nature and collaborations between organizations are what today’s communities require to be safe places to live and raise families. By doing so, we can maximize our resources and accomplish far more together than we ever could individually.”

Attendees at the ribbon-cutting included Mehlville Board of Education member Larry Felton, chairman of the South County YMCA board; Tim Emert, vice president of analytics at Centene Corporation and South County YMCA board member; and Dan Pogue, president of commercial, retail and consumer sales at Midwest BankCentre and past board chair of the South County YMCA.

The newly updated space now offers new amenities including:

  • Expanded health and wellness center. Includes new fitness equipment and a larger gym to allow more individuals in the community struggling with high blood pressure, diabetes and other chronic diseases to participate in prevention programs. 
  • New core and functional room. This area is designed to help train individuals for everyday activities more easily. With everything from grass turf, tires and a rock-climbing wall, the core and functional room has an individual exercising their entire body while emphasizing core strength. This area will also provide extra space to operate summer camp and other youth programs to help better serve the growing needs of families.
  • New group exercise class studio. An updated group exercise studio will help accommodate the growing number of class types to meet the demands of members.
  • New universal locker room. A modernized locker room will provide a safe environment for families with young children, people with diverse abilities and caregivers to ensure the Y continues to be a place for all.

“The upgrades we’ve made to the South County Y show our commitment to reinvesting in this community,” said Matt Clark, district vice president at the Gateway Region YMCA. “We’re proud to offer even more opportunities and benefits to those in South County and surrounding areas. As demands continue to grow, the Y will continue to meet community need. Funds raised through the Annual Campaign provide access and opportunity for all.”

This is the last of four other significant renovations by the Y in the region, as part of its multi-year capital campaign aimed at bridging the opportunity gap, connecting communities and cultivating health equity.


“The pandemic has highlighted the need for community organizations to work together to provide assistance in the areas of self-care, well-being and mental health for children, teens and adults,” said Lake in the release. “The Y is currently and will continue to play a role in these areas, which are becoming more important than ever moving forward.”

Each year the South County Family YMCA provides over $90,000 in financial assistance to those in need for a wide variety of services offered including swimming lessons, summer youth programs, fitness classes and senior citizen activities.

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