Morris YMCA construction running on schedule

Greater Joliet Area YMCA Chief Operating Officer Missy Durkin said there should be more vertical construction visible on the new Morris Hospital YMCA at 2200 Dupont Ave. soon.

Officials broke ground on the project back in June, and crews have since been working hard to lay the foundation. Durkin said beams should start going up soon.

“Other than the last couple of days, we’ve been really fortunate with the weather,” Durkin said. “There’s been a lot happening at ground level. It’s there you can see the pad of what will be the outline of future facilities and the parking lot.”

Workers are installing the underground electrical and plumbing infrastructure, and there’s been more grass planted toward the end of Dupont Avenue, which was just a large field of dirt at the time of the groundbreaking.

Durkin said she’s optimistic about the way things have kicked off and, as long as the weather continues to cooperate, things should continue going well. The hope is that construction will be substantially complete by the end of 2024, with the building opening in 2025.

“I think we will have more frequent updates now, as there’s going to be more visibility on the site itself,” Durkin said. “That activity will pick up, and the progress will be there for everybody to see and appreciate.”

The idea for a new Morris YMCA came about in 2005 and led to the current Morris YMCA opening at 230 Wauponsee St., formerly City Hall.

The Morris Hospital YMCA has since seen many donations and partnerships come along, such as the one with Morris Hospital.

The new YMCA will be a full facility with a competition swimming pool, gymnasium, wellness center, demonstration teaching kitchen, multipurpose rooms, child-watch spaces and a collaborative partnership with Morris Hospital, which will be under the same roof sharing about 9,000 square feet of the estimated 60,000-square-foot building.

Anyone interested in the Morris YMCA can find more information at jolietymca.org/locations/morris-community-ymca. Anyone interested in making a donation can contact Durkin at mdurkin@jolietymca.org or 815-513-8080. There is a donate button at the link above.