Bayside 'Y' Expansion Gets Sign-Off

Just in time for the opening of construction bids on Friday, the Bayside YMCA expansion plan got its final approval from the Barrington Planning Board Tuesday evening.

“We’re really excited that the formal public process is completed,” said Joe Martino, Bayside YMCA executive director. “Everybody is itching to get started.”

All bids for work on the $6.8 million project are due today, May 3, said Martino. They’ll be opened in Providence on Friday, May 4.

“We’ve been doing facility tours,” he said, to make every prospective bidder aware of the facility and the plans for the expansion.

“We will then begin the permitting process,” said Martino, which he expects will take up to six weeks.

Construction of the expanded YMCA at the end of West Street is expected to start in August, he said. Completion is anticipated by around September of next year.

The expansion project features a new Aquatics Center with a six-lane swimming pool and family splash area, new men’s and women’s locker rooms, family and special needs locker rooms, a wellness center within the fitness center, an upgraded and expanded lobby area, improvements to the field house, and a new parking lot. It will be built in two phases to keep as much of the current YMCA open.

By the end of phase 1, though, said Martino, there will be a fully functioning, handicapped accessible building with complete site development. The YMCA could stop there and have a much improved facility for members with a safer traffic pattern and a brand new parking area maintained completely by the 'Y'.

Phase 2 involves tearing down the current child-care building. The child-care center will be moved into the new building during phase 2.

First, of course, Martino said, “we’ll be qualifying bidders” and looking for a general contractor.

“The board expects to pick a general contractor by the end of June,” he said. “So we will have some news by the end of the month.”

Martino said also that the ‘Y’ should be well into the permitting process by that date.

A new phase of fundraising for the capital campaign also is expected to kick off when construction begins, he said.

“We expect to ramp up quite a bit,” Martino said.

The goal remains the cost of the project, he said. Right now, the YMCA has raised about $5.8 million.

“We’re looking to raise another $950,000,” he said.

Part of the Greater Providence YMCA, the Bayside ‘Y’ serves Barrington, Riverside, Warren and Bristol.

See a video above of the groundbreaking ceremony held several months ago.