Hats off to the Boothbay Region YMCA trustees, current and past members, for never standing pat on what the “heart of the region” offers. And to the people of the region and around the country, who have supported the changes that have taken place over the many years the facility has stood on Townsend Avenue.

I am so old, I remember the gymnastics room that used to be on the east end of the basketball court. It was a place where then-Executive Director Art Warner used to teach classes on the trampoline, pummel horse and other equipment.

I am so old, I remember my aching legs and feet after playing hours of hoop on the tiled basketball court before the wooden court was put in.

And I am so old, I remember the container of ping-pong balls that used to sit on the corner of the front desk (located right at the front door) where you could pay a quarter to get a ball and sign out a couple paddles to play a game.

Dozens upon dozens of changes have been made at the Y over the years for the benefit of the community: two swimming pools, weight rooms, exercise rooms, racquetball/squash courts, a fieldhouse for tennis and an elevated track … and so much more.

The YMCA is currently changing again with “a remodeling of the health and wellness areas, expanding community spaces, modernizing the electrical and mechanical systems in the building for greater energy efficiency, (and) improvements to the parking area, the installation of a new HVAC systems to improve air quality. Other features include a new multi-purpose studio for expanded wellness programming and a teaching kitchen to integrate the FARMs at the Y Program in order to continue addressing nutrition and food insecurity in the region,” as well as other features to be added including the installation of solar panels on the fieldhouse, which will reduce operational costs, and a resurfaced track.

Wherever I have traveled throughout the state, Boothbay Region YMCA is usually brought up as “one of the best Y’s I’ve been to.”

It makes me proud to hear that.