Mid Valley Family YMCA to Host Grand Opening

Hwa Stacy strolled through the corridors of the refurbished Mid Valley Family YMCA on Wednesday making sure everything was in place for tonight’s grand opening.

As executive director, Stacy spent more than a year overseeing the $650,000 renovation of the 51,000-square-foot facility on Lennox Avenue.

Stacy and her staff plan to welcome community leaders and residents for the opening celebration, which begins at 6 p.m.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski is among the invited guests, Stacy said, along with Larry Rosen, chief executive officer of the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles, and Mike Quiroga, chairman of the Mid Valley Family YMCA board.

The celebration marks the culmination of surveying, planning and constructing the facility, Stacy said. The renovation was paid with an allocation from the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles.

“We surveyed the community last year to determine if we were meeting the needs of the community,” Stacy said. “They told us what kinds of changes they would like to see and we responded.”

Community members said they wanted treadmills, stationary bicycles and weightlifting equipment, Stacy said, in addition to more programs for young families.

YMCA officials responded with state-of-the-art exercise equipment, an aerobics room, a computer lab, a child-care room, a preschool and after-school tutoring programs.

Class offerings were also expanded to include karate, cooking, home improvement, swimming and a 12-week, individualized exercise program to get sedentary people moving again.

Membership fees are $45 a month for families, $30 a month for single adults and $15 a month for youths, Stacy said, adding that no one is turned away if he or she is unable to pay.

Stacy said the community response to the improved YMCA has been tremendous since its unofficial reopening in May.

“Our former members are coming back and those who have remained loyal to us are pleased with all the renovations that we have made,” she said.