THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 19, 1995 TAG: 9507180081
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JODY R. SNIDER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
The old Smithfield High School is slowly giving birth to the new Isle of Wight, Smithfield and Windsor YMCA.
About 65 volunteers jammed the gymnasium last weekend to begin converting the abandoned portion of the structure into a community facility, Smithfield YMCA board member Gina Ippolito said.
``It was a blood, sweat and tears operation,'' she said.
The group painted the gymnasium, installed vinyl tile on the stage and in a hallway, replaced old windows and patched a leaky roof and sections of the gym floor.
By this coming weekend, the job of renovating the stage and gym portion of the 16,000-square-foot facility should be completed.
``That whole section of the school will have to be gutted,'' Ippolito said. ``Basically, the walls are good.''
Half of the school has been renovated for use by the Isle of Wight County Library/Smithfield Branch.
The idea of bringing a YMCA to the area began two years ago when the Peninsula YMCA began to offer before- and after-school programs at the county's elementary schools, Ippolito said.
``They looked over here and there was no Y. Nothing for kids to do. When they pulled up the membership list at the Peninsula YMCA, they found there were 450 Isle of Wight members listed.''
And that set the wheels in motion.
Ippolito said that after talking with the county about where the YMCA could be housed, they thought the former high school looked like the best place. The county agreed to lease the facility for $1 a year for 20 years.
Now it's up to the community to make it happen.
Newspaper advertisements and road signs announcing the need for volunteers have worked well, Ippolito said.
And at the end of the year, a campaign to raise $700,000 to renovate the remainder of the facility will begin.
``It takes so many dollars per square foot to renovate a building,'' Ippolito said. ``And $700,000 is what it would take to renovate 16,000 square feet.''
Locker rooms with showers are still needed, and there are at least two other rooms that need to be renovated, Ippolito said. Weight-training equipment is expected to be bought some time this fall.
``What happens at a YMCA is basically what the community wants to happen there,'' she said. ``Programs and prices have not been set yet.''
Limited memberships will be offered, Ippolito said, which should pay for the weight equipment.
Temporary staffing is expected to be provided by the Peninsula YMCA. Later, a Smithfield YMCA board will tackle the process of hiring a permanent Smithfield staff, Ippolito said.
``There are many, many decisions that have to be decided by the board in the next few months. But we had a very successful weekend this weekend with the number of volunteers that showed to help renovate.
``That makes us feel a whole lot better about saying this thing will open.'' by CNB