The Two Rivers YMCA in Moline is not only building to expand its facilities, it’s building a new future to meet community needs, officials said in a groundbreaking Tuesday morning, Aug. 11.
Local government, business, community and YMCA leaders (as well as summer day camp kids) took part in a groundbreaking for phase 2 of a $25-million project to expand, modernize and renovate the 55-year-old facility at 2040 53rd St., Moline. This phase includes a new gymnasium, wellness center, and fieldhouse to replace the existing gym.
“What we are really celebrating is much bigger than construction. We're celebrating a legacy,” Two Rivers board first vice president Heather Dohrn said. “More than 50 years ago, community leaders had a vision for a new YMCA, for what a new YMCA could mean for Moline, East Moline, that also serves surrounding communities. Through volunteer leadership, philanthropy, and the generosity of neighbors helping neighbors, that vision became this facility.
“And for more than 5 decades, this campus has continued to evolve, and because of this community, has continued to believe in the potential of the people we serve,” she said. “The YMCA's impact is only as strong as the community that stands behind it, and the presence of so many of you here today.
"Volunteers, donors, community leaders, partners, elected officials, staff, and friends is a powerful demonstration that the community continues to believe in its mission," Dohrn said.
"Today is groundbreaking, but it's not the finish line. We are breaking ground because our community has stepped forward in a tremendous way, but we are also continuing to raise money necessary to complete Phase 2.”
“We will build what we can afford to build when we can afford to build it. And that's important because it's not simply a construction project. We are building because we believe more children should have opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive,” she said. “More families should have access to healthy activities and quality childcare. More young people should have places where they belong, develop character, and build relationships with positive adults. We're building a legacy and investing in the future.”
“A YMCA project of this magnitude does not happen because one person had a great idea. It happens because an entire community decides that that idea is worth believing in,” Two Rivers board president Rob Anderson said Tuesday. “The most important thing we will see is years from now will not be the building. It will be the people whose lives have been changed inside it. That is our measure of success.”
Phase 2 alone will add 10,000 square feet, at an estimated cost of $14.9 million, and projected completion by December 2027.
The campaign stems from a strategic plan developed in 2023, and a comprehensive facility master plan approved in 2024.
“Those plans were not created simply because we wanted a newer building,” Anderson said. “They were created because our community is changing, our membership is growing, and the needs we are being asked to address continues to grow with it.”
Today, the Two Rivers YMCA serves more than 26,000 people a month across its six-county service area in northwest Illinois. The Y has more than 15,000 members, and aims to grow by 3,000 more with this investment, he said.
“That is a tremendous goal. It requires us to think differently about capacity. Our current facility has served us remarkably well, but portions of this building date back to 1970,” Anderson said. “We have growing demand for youth sports, childcare, wellness, recreation, and community programming. We need spaces that allow us to serve more people and create more opportunities.”
“It's one of those things where I think a lot of people in our community know this building. They’ve just never been inside it,” he said after the ceremony.
“I think once they see the outside, like what this is going to look like from the outside is going to be very impressive and it's going to just naturally draw people in,” Anderson said. “We've had a lot of people wondering in the community, what's being built over there? And today is kind of an answer to that, to that question that's been going around.”
While the three-phase campaign aims to raise $25 million, Anderson said he wasn’t sure what’s been collected and pledged so far, and CEO Mike Wennekamp said the Y remains in the “quiet phase,” and won’t announce a dollar figure until they open to the public portion, after meeting about 70% of their goal.
Phase two includes building the new gymnasium, then renovating the wellness space and lockers, and converting the existing gym to a turf field (for soccer and flag football, among other activities), to be done by next August.
“Phase 3, which will be the aquatic center, we're funding this as we build it,” Anderson said, ideally starting that in summer 2027. “It's probably going to start in the summer because we're going to try and utilize the partnership with Riverside Riverslide to do our aquatic services for minimal disruption.”
The existing cold-water pool will be renovated into a warm pool with zero-entry depth for therapy and families. And then the current warm pool, which is in the annex on the back of the building, would be torn down, and that’s where the new 8-lane competitive swimming pool would be put in, he said.
Once the second phase is done, Anderson hopes the public will be impressed.
“They're gonna be stunned. Like, it is gonna modernize this building,” he said. “It's gonna put a lot more windows. There's gonna be a lot more natural light coming in. There's gonna be large open spaces. Like, people will be amazed. Like, it'll be, if they've been in before, when they come in after it's been done, they will be amazed it's the same building.”
A 141-year history in Moline
The Two Rivers YMCA was founded in 1885 as the Moline YMCA, and a $1.6-million campaign built the current Moline Y on 53rd Street in 1971, consolidating the YMCAs in Moline and East Moline. To learn more about updates to the Two Rivers Y over the years, click HERE.
“Today is an exciting day for our campaign because we can finally put shovels into the ground, but I want to be very clear about something,” Two Rivers campaign tri-chair Annika Tunberg said Tuesday (Tom Bracke and Jerry Lyphout are the other chairs).
“This is not the end of a campaign. In many ways, it is the beginning of a new chapter. The master plan represents an approximately $25-million investment into the future of the Moline and East Moline YMCA. It is a tremendous undertaking, and we have approached it with the same discipline and responsibility that we expect from the YMCA in every other aspect of its operations.
“We are not going to build something simply because it's part of a plan. We are going to build something which we have the resources to responsibly afford,” she said. “That approach is important because we want to project this project to strengthen the YMCA, not create an unsustainable burden for the organization and community.”
“We are deeply grateful to everyone who has already made a financial commitment to getting this campaign started,” Bracke said, singling out Mike and Donna Steffenson, who made a major donation and will have the new gym named in their honor. “Mike and Donna have always been humble about their philanthropy and, with respect, their desire for privacy. But today we want to say, Mike and Donna, thank you for believing in the Y and investing in the next generation.
"This gymnasium will be filled with thousands of hours of activity, children who learn to play on teams here. Teenagers will find a place to gather here. Families will watch their children compete here. Campers will have a place to play. Members will build healthier lives here," he said.
“And because of your generosity, your name will quietly and permanently be connected to that impact,” Bracke said. “There are many other people who have also helped us reach this point. And we will continue to recognize them and thank them throughout this campaign. Because once again, as Annika said, the campaign is not finished. Today's groundbreaking represents what we have been able to accomplish together.”
Importance of people, not buildings
Two Rivers Y CEO Mike Wennekamp reiterated the importance of the campaign purpose.
“It's not about the bricks and mortar, it's about the people. It's not about steel, it's not about HVAC systems, walls, or square footage,” he said. “It's about all of you and about the families who are in this community that we're able to serve. After the successful completion of Phase 1, which addressed critical infrastructure needs by replacing our original boiler and hot water system, and much-needed parking expansion, which should be complete within the next few weeks, adding 40% more parking to the parking lot.”
The new gym will be built to the northeast of the Y, allowing additional space for basketball, volleyball, youth sports, pickleball, childcare, summer camp program, and community programs.
“But what we're really creating is opportunity,” Wennekamp said. “It means another court for a child who wants to play basketball or learn a sport, another place for a teenager who wants to be active and build friendships, another place for parents to watch their children learn good sportsmanship and character and competition, and another climate-controlled space which our summer day camp staff will love.”
A new wellness center will go on the addition’s second floor, with new fitness equipment and a 1/8-mile track. he noted.
“And that matters because healthy living looks different for everyone. For one person, it may be strength training. For another, it may be walking on the track,” Wennekamp said.
“For another, it may be recovering from an injury. For another, it may be participating in a chronic disease prevention program. I tell all of our staff when they start at the Y that it's a journey for everyone, and we have no idea where people are on that journey, but we're here to meet them, and this is going to allow us to be able to do that from a health and wellness perspective.
“Our responsibility is to create opportunities for all of them, and, and these spaces are going to help us do that,” he said. “We're also investing in modernized locker rooms and member experience areas throughout the facility. These improvements will make the building as a whole easier to navigate as well, more functional, and more welcoming to the thousands of people who use our facilities throughout the week.
"For young athletes, it means a better experience before and after practice. For families, it means spaces that better accommodate the way that they use the Y," Wennekamp said. "And for adults and seniors, it means a more comfortable and accessible environment for them to meet their health and wellness goals.
“These improvements may not be the most visible part of the project from the outside, but locker rooms and member experience spaces are very important for the socialization of our members and our community,” the CEO added.
Investment in the future
Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati also praised the YMCA’s investment in the city and the region.
“The YMCA has been a cornerstone of our community, a place where families gather, children learn and grow, and individuals of all backgrounds find support to live healthier, more connected lives,” she said. “When strong organizations like the YMCA invest in our neighborhoods, the entire region benefits. As Moline continues to grow and look toward the future as well, public-private partnerships and shared community visions are more important than ever.”
“What makes this effort especially commendable is the disciplined, forward-thinking approach the Y leadership has taken, building what is funded today whole keeping a clear strategic vision for the future,” Rayapati said. “On behalf of the city of Moline, I want to congratulate the board of directors, trustees, campaign volunteers, and everyone whose dedication has brought us to this moment. Thank you for your continued investment in the people of Moline and the broader Quad Cities area. So congratulations, and I look forward to seeing these new spaces come to life.”
Two Rivers YMCA also operates YMCAs in Rock Island, Kewanee, and the Bass Street-Sylvan Boathouse in Moline.
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