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Walkerville’s former YMCA gets $6.5 million transformation green light

Walkerville is getting a major $6.5 million upgrade to one of its buildings to create a fantastic sport, recreation and wellbeing hub.

Image credit: Walkerville Council and Lucy Hood MP

Walkerville is set to get an exciting new modern sports and community facility at the 39 Smith Street site location, which is the former YMCA. The refurbishment will include improving the squash, basketball, gymnastics and community spaces, while also creating a fresh façade.

It’s estimated to cost $6.5 million, which includes Member for Adelaide Lucy Hood’s $5 million election commitment. After years of campaigning, the project has finally been given the green light.

The YMCA had operated in the area for more than 60 years offering indoor court sports, a gymnasium and fitness classes before it closed in 2019.

Lucy has fought for the community space for more than two and a half years, holding booked-out community forums and knocking on local doors to get the communities feedback.

“It’s been a campaign I have been running since 2020, the council wouldn’t renew the lease for the old YMCA. I got involved early on and knocked on every door and held community forums to listen to people. Then I fought for a commitment from my party that if we won the state election we would bring back a community hub,” Lucy tells Glam Adelaide.

The site that now sits empty has been a beacon for the community for decades, offering a space for all different groups to congregate.

“It’s been part of our communities lives for generations. Everyone you speak to in the local area has a memory or story about the site, or their kids or grandkids have been there,” Lucy says.

The site will soon once again be an integral part of the community, offering a sport, recreation and wellbeing hub.

“The best preventative healthy policy is for people to get active. We want kids playing sport and getting active. As you get older it’s important as well, the previous centre had ‘strength for life’ classes for those at retirement age who would then go for coffee afterward which had an economic benefit for local cafes and shops,” Lucy says.

“I’m from a country town where sport is like a religion, and I think it should be just as important in the city.”

Early master planning and concept designing of the entire site was undertaken in 2022, along with necessary and vital investigation works into the building’s condition, to help inform the design process.

“We don’t need anything gold plated, just a great site that gives back to the community,” Lucy says.

An expression of interest process for community and sporting groups will open very soon, with building works expected to commence later this year.

“Sport and recreation centres are in huge demand. I’m often approached by all different sporting clubs looking for community spaces, so this is absolutely needed,” Lucy says.

“The dream is to reopen the doors. When we do it’s going to be an incredible moment for the community and one we’ve been waiting for,” Lucy says.

For more information about the 39 Smith Street development, click here.

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