Wednesday’s action by the South Sound Y Board comes after an intense 24 months of polling, research and community meetings facilitated by the local nonprofit group known as SHARC (Shelton Health and Recreation Center). SHARC will continue to work hand-in-hand with the South Sound Y leadership on site acquisition and coalition building. The Y, with the support of local stakeholders, will begin a thorough capital feasibility study in the coming months, which will further define the size and scope of the facility.
“This is an exciting day for both the South Sound Y and the south Mason County area. We heard loud and clear that Shelton wants a Y and we’re ready to get to work on making that happen,” said South Sound YMCA President/CEO Kyle Cronk.
A membership/marketing feasibility study was commissioned by the SHARC group (then known as Community Recreation Opportunities for Mason County) and completed in late 2015. It surveyed households from Hoodsport to Union to Shelton. The results of that initial survey showed that the community was ready and willing to support and sustain a community recreation facility serving kids, families and seniors. ?The encouraging results led to the interest of many local stakeholders as well as the South Sound Y organization.