Gas City celebrated the start of construction on a Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) center in Turner Park with a groundbreaking ceremony March 31.
The YMCA’s completion is anticipated for summer 2027, Mayor Bill Rock Jr. said.
Once in operation, the YMCA will offer walking space, weights, basketball, aerobics, an aquatic center with a pool and a zipline over the water and more.
It will also provide education and daycare through a partnership with the Mississinewa school system to meet Gas City’s childcare needs.
After construction, Rock hopes to add a retractable dome atop the pool to make it accessible year-round, he said. Until then, residents can enjoy the Marion YMCA’s year-round pool, as memberships make all YMCAs accessible to members, not just a designated location.
Turner Park was selected after Rock and his team sent corporate YMCA an interest application. A YMCA representative reviewed several Gas City zones selected as possible locations. Through a feasibility study, they determined that Turner Park would reach the most community members.
“We started a study probably three or four years ago to evaluate the feasibility of Grant County and specifically Gas City creating another YMCA,” Jason Miller, city engineer, said. “ … Well over 90% (of survey participants) chose the current location.”
Turner Park provides optimal access to residents from Gas City, Wells County, Blackford County, Madison County, Grant County and Huntington County.
The park already operates as a community attraction because of its splash pad, outdoor fitness area, pickleball courts, Betty Lane walking trail, pond, golf cart community and playground, Rock said.
Contractors are currently preparing the site for the building pad, parking lot and site utilities, Miller said. This will likely last 1-2 months. Once this is ready, foundations, plumbing and other utilities below the building pad will be visible.
By late summer, walls will begin to form. By winter, the walls will be erected, aquatic center structures will be laid in place, and the building interior will be completed.
“As the construction is continuing, it will build excitement for Gas City and Grant County, and before long we’ll have a ribbon cutting ceremony where people can enjoy the outdoor aquatic center and all the amenities that a YMCA offers,” Miller said. “ … I’m looking forward to the mayor going down the slide to break it in.”
Rock hopes to continue creating opportunities for people of all ages to have fun while meeting Gas City’s needs, he said.
He and his team want Gas City to be a place where people can both live and play.
It’s just like when we light our city at Christmastime,” he said. “There’s people that come to town that stop and shop. They feel like they’re in a Hallmark Christmas.”
Most citizens are thrilled about the YMCA, Rock said.
“We had some people kind of trying to figure out how Grant county will support two YMCAs in the county,” Brandon Eckstein, Gas City council member, said. “ … But having a second YMCA in Gas City will help those families that just don't have time to go into Marion be able to come to Gas City and work out and swim.”
The renovation uses no tax dollars, relieving other concerns, he said.
The team has frequently evaluated costs to make sure the construction won’t come from any tax dollars, Eckstein said.
Many generous donors made this possible, including St. Frances University, Indiana Wesleyan University, the READI program and more, Rock said.
Gas City’s YMCA will certainly improve quality of life, Eckstein said. It will become a great community event center amidst an expanding yet close-knit Gas City.
Throughout this growth, Rock’s team hopes to expand job opportunities and recreational activities at a pace that maintains the intimate community, Eckstein said.
Miller is grateful to work on Rock’s driven team. It’s been great from day one, he said.
“What we offer is energy and vision and passion for growing Gas City and Grant County,” Miller said. “We want to be a team that sets the example for how you work together and get things completed. There’s always hurdles. But it’s not a matter of if we make something happen, it’s a matter of when.”
