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ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
YMCA
08 17 FORMER
BETHESDA SITE TO BECOME NEW YMCA,
EXPANDED
CHILD CARE AND MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The Greater
Watertown Community Health Foundation (the Foundation) is proud to announce the
purchase of the former Bethesda Corporate Center and 90 adjacent acres along
the Rock River on the city's south side. The Foundation plans to transform the
campus into a thriving work-live-play neighborhood that models
best practices in community connectedness, health and wellbeing.
Over the next
10 months, the former Corporate Center will be renovated, reopening in the
summer of 2023 as The Collective. In 55,000 square feet over three floors, The
Collective will house a new YMCA Child Care and Early Education Center, a
satellite Express YMCA, Jefferson County Head Start, and nonprofit and
innovation coworking spaces. In its entirety, members of The Collective will be
a vibrant community of changemakers championing strong families and a
prosperous community.
Development of
The Collective and adjacent property is an exciting next step toward the
Foundation's vision of vibrant communities where everyone enjoys health and
wellbeing. The project will also catalyze development in one of the City of
Watertown's priority development areas.
"Collaboration
is foundational to everything the Foundation does, and this campus will provide
many opportunities for community partners to collaborate in improving community
vibrancy and wellbeing," said Dr. Mike Sullivan, Foundation Board Chair.
Since 2017, the Foundation has facilitated Every Child
Thrives, a partnership of 50+ agencies across Dodge and Jefferson Counties
working to ensure all children thrive in health, learning and life. The
Collective campus investment is designed to accelerate transformative impact
toward Every Child Thrives' strong families and
prosperous community goals. The community benefits of this project include:
ˇ Creation of a new, high-quality
early care and education center with capacity to serve 126 children.
ˇ Nonprofit service colocation so
families can access wrap-around supports in
one, convenient location.
ˇ Sharing of office space, resources and
services to provide efficiencies for nonprofit service providers, allowing
agencies to focus time and attention on those they serve.
ˇ Shared professional development
to advance community impact.
ˇ Wellness programming to support
healthy lifestyle and strengthen community.
ˇ 80+ acres of housing development.
A needs assessment is being completed now and a community master planning
process will launch in late 2022 to identify how the neighborhood can address
the housing shortage affecting all demographic groups in our region.
"The Collective is more than just a work
space," says Tina Crave, Foundation President & CEO. "It's a
catalyst for our mission, which is to inspire collaboration, mobilize resources
and encourage innovation that measurably contributes to the wellbeing of our
community."
The Collective will serve as an innovation center,
piloting best practices for childcare business sustainability. Outreach from
The Collective to early care and education providers across Dodge and Jefferson
Counties will connect providers with resources to improve quality of care and
operational effectiveness.
The Watertown Area YMCA also announced plans for The
Collective to be the future home of the new, full-size YMCA. The YMCA would be
developed in two phases based on the support of community donors. Phase one
would relocate current operations from the old Watertown High School with
amenities including a Gymnasium, Wellness & Free Weight Center, aerobic
activity studios and Youth Center. The second phase would center on the
addition of a state-of-the-art aquatic facility for instruction, recreation and
water safety. The YMCA will release details of future
plans as they become funded.
A shared investment in community
"The Collective is a dream we've explored behind
the scenes for many years," says Crave. "After exploring several
options, from building new to repurposing space, we are excited to bring these
dreams to life at this location."
Total capital costs to purchase the 90 acres, renovate
and finish the 55,000 square foot Collective are budgeted at $16 million.
Jefferson County and Dodge County have each allocated $200,000 and the City of
Watertown has allocated $400,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to
support The Collective's goals of increasing access to quality child care
across the region.
"One of the goals our city council set was to use
our ARPA funds in a manner that the impact of the funds lasted well beyond the
funding itself," Mayor Emily McFarland said. "There is no doubt about
it that our community needs more child care slots; I've seen the data and I've heard it during nearly every business
visit I've done. I'm thankful to the Foundation
for leading this effort, to the YMCA for being an incredible community partner,
and to the city council for allocating this level of involvement. It will make
an incredible impact on workforce availability, on the families in our
community, and on the children in care. In government, you don't always get the
opportunity to be a proactive and strategic leader of change; I'm thrilled we
get to be a part of that with this project."
In addition to serving as the new headquarters for the
Foundation, The Collective will serve as home for the following agencies:
Watertown Area YMCA
A cornerstone partner in this
project, the YMCA will open a new Child Care and Early Education Center and a
satellite Express YMCA in 2023.
ˇ The Child Care and Early
Education Center will provide high quality, 5-star accredited care with space
for 126 children, including twice as many infant and toddler positions as a
typical Center would hold. The Center will offer better than industry average
wages for staff and the Y intends to develop collaborative relationships with
area businesses related to childcare fees for their employees. These strategies
aim to further support and stabilize the child care industry
as a whole.
ˇ The Express YMCA will offer 24 hour access to health and wellness opportunities for
all levels, including cardio equipment, weight machines, and group exercise
spaces for traditional classes, small group training, and virtual/on-demand
classes. The space will have amenities that cater to those who are new or
returning to exercise. An EGYM circuit will offer personalized workouts that
are effective and fun with technology that tailors the experience for each
specific individual. "We like to say it's the last new space of
the old YMCA and the first space of the new YMCA (to be added)" said Jon
Lange, YMCA Chief Executive Officer.
ˇ Future plans include the
relocation of existing YMCA operations to The Collective with a new, full
facility YMCA.
Jefferson County Head Start - A federal- and state-funded
preschool program focusing on school readiness for 3-5
year old children, at no cost to eligible families.
AbleLight (formerly Bethesda) - Provides life-changing services
that empower people with developmental disabilities to achieve their full
potential.
Community Action
Coalition - A nonprofit working
to end poverty and help people live better lives.
Safe Families for
Children - A professionally
supported volunteer movement dedicated to providing "extended
family-like supports" to local families
facing a crisis.
Jefferson County Human
Services - Enhancing the
quality of life for individuals and families living in Jefferson County by
addressing their needs in a respectful manner and enabling citizens receiving
services to function as independently as possible, while acknowledging their
cultural differences.
Innovation coworking
space - This coworking
space invites community changemakers from all backgrounds and sectors into The
Collective. A selective leasing process will prioritize civic-minded
entrepreneurs and businesses who are looking to share space with a network of
community changemakers.
Leases will include private workspace with wraparound
amenities that foster connection and provide efficiencies, including:
ˇ Shared, technology equipped
conference rooms
ˇ "The Atrium" a
networking and event space with a grand view
ˇ Private Zoom rooms
ˇ Quarterly networking and
collaboration events
ˇ Shared professional development
and networking
ˇ Onsite early care and fitness
facilities
ˇ Shared café space
ˇ Shared utilities and services (wifi, printing, lawn care, waste removal)
Benefits for all
The Collective is a shared investment in community
prosperity, ultimately lifting families, agencies, volunteers and
businesses.
ˇ Families will benefit from the
addition of badly-needed early care and
education slots, along with convenient access to a variety of support services.
ˇ Children will enjoy a five-star
learning environment, preparing them for success at school.
ˇ Volunteers will enjoy a
coordinated approach that connects them with meaningful, timely tasks that
benefit a variety of agencies.
ˇ Agencies can strengthen their
reach and effectiveness with:
o Reduced operating costs
(economies of scale, stable and affordable office space, shared services), and
o Broadened capacity, impact and
sustainability (resources, professional development, collaboration and
operational support).
ˇ The community will enjoy vibrant
new civic spaces.
ˇ Civic-minded entrepreneurs and
businesses can find a home that is much more than just office space, joining a
forward-thinking community of changemakers.
Renovation plans and Timeline
ˇ August, 2022 Purchase property
Begin remodeling The Collective
ˇ Fall, 2022 YMCA will kick off
capital fundraising campaign to raise funds for a full new YMCA Community
members will be invited to participate in a Master Planning process for future
neighborhood development
ˇ Spring, 2023 The Collective opens
To date, the foundation
has invested more than $14 million in its five strategic, child-focused
priorities:
ˇ strong families
ˇ kindergarten readiness
ˇ school success
ˇ social and emotional wellbeing
ˇ healthy eating/active living
History of Watertown, Wisconsin