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Henry County YMCA seeks county sponsorship for proposed expansion, OCRA grant request
Summary
YMCA leaders and a grant writer outlined a plan to add four classrooms and expand capacity, requesting the county consider sponsoring an OCCRA grant application should the Expo project proceed and the city be unable to sponsor.
Shannon McLeod, a federal grant writer, and Kelsey Smith, director of youth development at the Henry County YMCA, briefed the Henry County Board of Commissioners on a proposed facility expansion and asked the county to consider sponsoring an Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) grant application in the fall if the city cannot do so.
Kelsey Smith said Henry County is a childcare desert with more children in need of care than available seats. She described the proposed expansion as adding four classrooms to double the YMCA’s summer-program capacity (from 40 to about 80 children), provide space for before- and after-school care and expand access to wellness facilities.
“We started thinking, like, how could we serve that need? … Our project that we're working on is an extension of our facility. The main part being 4 additional classrooms, which we will use for before and after school care,” Kelsey Smith said.
Shannon McLeod said the project’s estimated cost is just under $2 million. The YMCA is conducting a capital campaign and pursuing local funding; the grant sought from OCRA would be for $750,000 if the county agreed to sponsor an application. McLeod said proposal windows are expected this fall (proposal due Oct. 24, full application due Dec. 19) and that timing may depend on the status of the county’s Expo project and any city sponsorship.
Commissioners did not take action but were asked to consider sponsorship if the Expo building funding and contracting timeline allow concurrent applications later in the year.
