Key Takeaways:
Programs could launch before a full YMCA is built: The YMCA is exploring ways to offer child care, youth activities, and wellness programs in existing spaces.
An aquatic center is a long-term possibility: The YMCA must study sites and costs before moving forward with a full-service facility.
Potential food assistance: The YMCA is exploring ways to expand access to meals in Moore County, including potential partnerships to reach eligible families.
The YMCA is still exploring ways to bring a full-service facility to Southern Pines. According to discussions had at the Southern Pines Town Council meeting on Oct. 27, the YMCA hopes to bring childcare, youth programs, food assistance, and an aquatic center to the area.
Preliminary planning
Bruce Griffin, a consultant with the North Carolina Alliance of YMCAs, shared updates about the effort, which is now leaning more toward identifying immediate community needs and potential partnerships before pursuing a major construction project.
The YMCA held a community forum with 69 attendees divided into 12 discussion groups. Participants submitted more than 400 responses, and about one-third signed up to continue working on the initiative. The effort now has approximately 26 steering committee members, Griffin said.
“We drive first with programming,” Griffin told the council. “We don’t drive with groundbreaking for $30 million facilities.”
Programming could begin before construction
Griffin identified full-day child care, preschool, teen activities, summer camps, senior wellness programs, and food assistance as potential areas for YMCA involvement.
Participants also reportedly voiced their desire for swimming facilities and instruction.
The YMCA wants to build on existing community services rather than duplicate them. Griffin pointed to the Boys and Girls Club and the area’s existing fitness organizations as examples of established resources “the Y” would consider when determining where it could help.
Among the existing sites being considered, the Southern Pines Land and Housing Trust center was thought of as a potential starting point. The property already has a gym, athletic fields, and classroom spaces that could be adapted for child care or senior wellness programs. However, it does not qualify for food distribution programs.
Council Member Bob Curtin asked if programming could proceed separately from plans for an aquatic center, and Griffin said the two efforts would follow different paths. The YMCA could begin offering programs in existing spaces while continuing to study the feasibility of a full-service facility.
Aquatic center
Griffin said the need for expanded aquatics opportunities extends beyond Southern Pines and should be evaluated across Moore County.
A future facility could support swimming lessons for elementary school students, competitive swimming programs, fitness activities, and recreational lap swimming. Griffin said the YMCA would also need to consider whether the facility could host competitions and accommodate spectators.
A standalone aquatic center also carries substantial operating costs, he said. Hosting competitions could help offset those expenses while also bringing visitors to local hotels and other local businesses.
Griffin cautioned that the previously considered property on Morganton Road might not provide enough room for a full facility and aquatic center, particularly given parking requirements and the site’s restrictions.
He estimated that a smaller program center could cost less than $3 million, but a detailed estimate has not been completed.
Food assistance
Griffin also pointed to the potential to expand access to summer meals for children in Moore County.
He said the county accessed about $96,000, or 3%, of available funding through the Summer Food Service Program in 2025. The program currently operates through congregate meal sites, where children receive meals at designated locations with an educational component.
Griffin said federal rules now also allow eligible organizations to distribute meals through noncongregate sites, which can provide food to families in a drive-through setting or another approved arrangement. He referenced a program in Lillington that grew from serving 37 family meal boxes per week to distributing 500 boxes in a single day.
The YMCA is exploring whether it could establish a similar effort in Moore County. However, the Land and Housing Trust property does not fall within the geographic area eligible for the noncongregate program under the criteria Griffin discussed.
He said the organization was working to identify another eligible location, potentially through a church or community partner.
Town still interested in partnership
Mayor Clement told Griffin that the town is still interested in helping the YMCA explore its options, despite the expiration of the agreement involving the Morganton Road property.
She added that the deadline had been a legal matter and that the council remained open to helping the organization use the site if possible.
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Feature photo via Canva Stock Gallery.
Abegail Murphy | Assistant Editor
Written by Sandhills Sentinel assistant editor Abegail Murphy. Abegail has been writing for Sandhills Sentinel since 2021.
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