Still saddled with two separate, aging, facilities, one on Avenue U popularly known as the “black Y,” and one on Avenue B known as the “white Y,” the Bogalusa YMCA has been working towards physical consolidation for years.

The single board of directors, composed of representatives from each facility, stresses that there is truly only one YMCA in town, and it’s been researching, planning and seeking funding to make that a physical fact.

Now it has decided that the best course of action is to build on its own property on Avenue B. The Avenue U site was donated for use by Temple Inland. And Phase 1, the design phase, is now under way.

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The architectural plans, designed by Fauntleroy and Latham, show a 42,950 square-foot facility, up from about 19,000 square-feet now, said Chief Volunteer Officer Stuart Parker.

Plans include enclosing and heating the pool and upgrading the wellness center and gym, plus adding saunas and a whirlpool, a large aerobics/multi-purpose studio, locker rooms, handball courts, a kitchen, multi-purpose and meeting rooms, a “child watch” room with a fenced-in play area attached and a lobby/reception area.

Parker and Chief Executive Officer Ken Martin said the new facility would not only help unite the community by replacing vestiges of a divided past, it would encourage children and adults to stay fit by offering an inviting, healthy atmosphere, and it would provide an easily accessible community meeting space. The YMCA could become a primary community center and it could be built to also function as a much-needed emergency shelter, they said.

The cost of the construction project is approximately $7.7 million.

Parker said the work will be done in phases and start as funding becomes available.

Louisiana Sen. Ben Nevers and Rep. Harold Ritchie, both long-time project supporters, have secured first $75,000 and now an additional $20,000 in state funding, he said. And U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office said this week that she has “inserted language” in the pending Agriculture Appropriations Bill to give the Bogalusa YMCA project “priority consideration” for the federal funding, although a dollar amount was not specified.

Martin and Parker said the YMCA will continue to seek state, federal and grant funding to make the project a reality for the people of Bogalusa and Washington Parish.

Parker said “there is no timeline,” but it is his wish to begin actual construction next year. Completion might take a couple of years, he said. And the Avenue U facility won’t be closed until the new YMCA is finished and ready to open.

“We don’t want to stop programs, so we’ll keep Avenue U open during construction,” said Martin.

Both men believe a new, up-to-date and unified YMCA will make a big impact.

“We’re excited about the possibility of what could happen in our community,” said Martin.