More than a year after the Bethlehem YMCA broke ground on a new lunch pavilion to accommodate the organization’s summer campers, the structure is complete.
On Thursday, June 6, staff of the Bethlehem YMCA gathered, along with members of the community and benefactors of the pavilion, to celebrate the project finally becoming a reality. Fundraising and planning had begun nearly five years prior.
“This pavilion represents our commitment to the Bethlehem community and the hundreds of children who participate in our camp each year,” said Capital District YMCA President and CEO David Brown at the dedication ceremony.
The 3,200-square-foot pavilion includes an eating area, space for activities, a food service area, bathrooms and a storage room. A walking path and a utility road from the parking lot will be built in the future. The building also has water, sewer and electrical connections.
The pavilion was completed before camp began in June last year at the 14-acre property located at 900 Delaware Ave. About 150 campers attend the Bethlehem YMCA summer camp per week, and it runs for nine weeks.
Bethlehem YMCA Director Derek Martin said volunteers were doing finishing touches, like the construction of picnic tables, just three days before campers arrived.
“In this case, many hands made for light work, but it certainly didn’t make for light anxiety on my part,” said Martin.
The entire project cost around $490,000. More than $250,000 was obtained through grants, with the rest coming from donations. Sen. Neil Breslin, a Bethlehem resident, secured the largest portion of the funds needed. The pavilion was dedicated in his name.
“I’m just so thankful to be even a small part of this,” said Breslin. “I look at the list of folks who’ve given their own money and their own sweat and efforts to make this a reality, and the fact over 350 kids will get use of it over the summer, it brings me joy.”
Large donations came from the Slingerland family through the Slingerland Foundation, Christopher and Christine Edwards, Woodward Connor Gillies & Seleman Architechs and the Standish Foundation.
“Just seeing the kids faces and the fun they’re having is what really hits home about being able to provide this type of facility,” said Don Slingerland. “Not just the pavilion, but all of the Y.”
Martin said the pavilion is part of the Bethlehem branch’s capital campaign. The entire plan also includes the installation of activity fields, a welcome center and a playground. The projects total an additional $150,000. Those plans will be completed as funds become available.
The pavilion will be used exclusively for YMCA members and those who attend camp, but corporations and the community can rent it out for local functions during the off season. Martin also said some exercise classes might use the pavilion on a regular basis for things like yoga instruction.
“When we built this pavilion, the vision was first and foremost for the kids, but it has so many more uses,” said Martin, calling the pavilion a lasting legacy to the Y’s commitment to Bethlehem. “We do these things to engage our community, and to engage our members.”