LEONARDTOWN, Md. – There was a ceremony at the Commissioners’ Meeting room in Leonardtown from 9 am to 9:45 am on July 26 to announce a new YMCA has been approved for the budget to begin building in St. Mary’s County. Members of the community showed up in purple YMCA t-shirts and if you didn’t have one, you were offered one to show solidarity in respect to this 7 year long campaign.
A who’s who of St. Mary’s showed up including Senator Ben Cardin and Senator Van Hollen, among many other officials from the county.
“We are delighted that our Federal delegation – Senators Cardin and Van Hollen, and Congressman Hoyer – have been staunch allies for our YMCA campaign, and we are deeply grateful for the HUD earmark they have shepherded through Congress on our behalf. They will be visiting St Mary’s County on Friday, July 26th to publicly announce the funding. We absolutely must show them our broad-based, strong appreciation,” was the official comment on this landmark day via media sources.
Tony Sigmon, Chief of Development of the YMCA Chesapeake, is the man who started this venture (based as an organization on the Eastern Shore, boasting 11 Y’s) who moved to St. Mary’s County in June of 2023. Leading the Capital Campaign Team, along with co-chairs Bert and Bev Johnston, Sigmon oversees building, hiring and training.
“This Y is the first in Southern Maryland and it has received amazing support from the county and federal government. It will be a transformative park, molding the area in an exciting way. Currently, we are at $18 million in federal appropriations with a goal of $22 million, so we are very pleased with the progress. We are enthusiastic about this coming year,” Sigmon shared with TheBayNet. “To all the residents, I’d like to say that perhaps you have a vision of what the YMCA is but you will be amazed and touched by this place when it opens. If you’d like to get an idea, you can visit one of our buildings in DC or Baltimore.”
The St. Mary’s County YMCA is expected to have 10,000 members and will be the first in the tri-county area. This is all a result of community efforts dating back to 2016 and supported by our Commissioners.
The timeline is roughly spread out to start with 90% of goals hit by this fall in order to have a groundbreaking. If this is met, the Y should be open by the winter of 2026. The organization has been in fundraising mode with larger donors who have the option to make a five-year pledge.
After opening, some of the first initiatives include all fifth graders learning how to swim at the Y, every sixth grader gets a free membership and no one will be turned away for financial reasons. The Y ensures a sliding scale to provide access to all members of the community.
Along with that, there will be two full size basketball courts, a heated indoor pool and the Y will take over management plus cost of the existing Great Mills pool for summer camp usage. While the organization does not aim to duplicate any spaces, resources, or programs that already exist, needs are so great that it will become a need-based focus on future ventures. This is particularly helpful to our youth and elderly demographics.
YMCA is aware that residents in the northern county would like facilities there and assure that this will eventually come to fruition. This first Y should introduce new opportunities throughout the tri-county area for more locations to exist.
If you would like more information or to donate, contact Tony Sigmon at tsigmon@ymcaofchesapeake.org.
Contact our news desk at news@thebaynet.com
Watch the official video of the announcement below!
Federal Delegation Presentation of YMCA Funding to the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County
