MOULTRIE, Ga. — In March, the Moultrie YMCA announced an 18-month plan to open a downtown facility and renovate the Main YMCA building on 26th Avenue Southeast.

The Downtown Y opened in April and plans to expand its hours in January.

Renovation of the Main Y is in Phase II. So far the Y has updated the gym and the fitness center with new machines and new flooring.

Some of the planned updates include new flooring, new basketball goals, the opening of hallways, moving the child block to the front of the facility and the opening of a Genesis room for active senior citizens and people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease.

CEO and Director of the Moultrie YMCA Rich Gallagher said that all this is possible because of the community.

“All of our renovations came from one-on-one interviews and group interviews from the community,” said Gallagher. “So through surveys, we got the information we needed. and it was through those we realized what we needed to do become relevant.

“The YMCA has been around since 1851, and since then it has changed with the times to stay relevant and that is all we are doing, staying relevant and figuring out what more can we do to serve our community,” Gallagher said.

The Moultrie YMCA celebrated its centennial in 2016, but it’s been in its current building since 1974.

The $500,000 renovation project is going as planned and Moultrie Y officials are still eyeing a late 2019 completion date, Gallagher said.