By Gage Wilson
For Glasgow News 1
More than three years after the first steps were taken to secure funding, the Barren County Family YMCA celebrated the completion of its new senior wing Tuesday, welcoming Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear back to Glasgow to help officially open the addition.
Beshear joined YMCA officials, local and regional leaders and dozens of community members for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the nearly 3,000-square-foot addition, bringing to a close a project largely funded through a $750,000 Community Development Block Grant he announced in 2024. Glasgow Mayor Henry Royse and Barren County Judge-Executive Jamie Bewley-Byrd joined Beshear on stage for the ceremony, with both offering encouraging anecdotes on the addition and what it will provide for seniors in the community.
“Today is so much more than just a ribbon cutting, it represents years of planning, partnership and a shared vision,” said YMCA CEO Tara Bailey. “To create a space that will not just serve our seniors but will also provide opportunities for our entire community.”
The new wing provides dedicated space for the YMCA’s growing slate of senior programming, including exercise and wellness classes, educational opportunities, social activities and a longstanding senior meal program offered in partnership with the Barren River Area Development District.
Beshear, who has made several visits to the YMCA in recent years, pointed to the addition as another example of the facility expanding its role in the community.
“As ya’ll know I’ve been here a lot and that’s because so many great things are happening right here,” Beshear said. “We’ve been at this facility three times to announce that it is doing more, and more, and more for the community.”
He also highlighted the population the new addition was designed primarily to serve.
“Seniors in Barren County have poured their hearts into this community,” Beshear said. “They are the shoulders upon which we stand.”
Senior Wing History
While the grant was announced two years ago, work to bring the senior wing to fruition began well before Beshear presented the funding.
The project can be traced to May 2023, when Bailey and BRADD Community Development Specialist Matt Pedigo approached the Glasgow City Council seeking assistance with a Community Development Block Grant application.
Because the YMCA could not apply for the funding directly, the City of Glasgow agreed to serve as the applicant and pass-through entity, while BRADD prepared and later administered the grant.
At the time, Bailey told council members that one of the primary needs was a dedicated space for the YMCA’s senior population. The Y had partnered with BRADD to offer weekday meals to seniors, but without a dedicated area, those meals and other programs competed for space elsewhere in the facility.
The application ultimately proved successful. In June 2024, Beshear announced that Glasgow and the YMCA had been awarded $750,000 toward construction of the addition as part of a larger round of Community Development Block Grant funding distributed across Kentucky.
“Today is not just a ribbon cutting, it is a promise that’s been kept,” Beshear said Tuesday. “You’ve built a place for folks to break bread together, to get their steps in together, to learn and laugh together with old friends and new friends alike. I’m proud that Team Kentucky supported this center with a $750,000 grant.”
The grant provided the bulk of the project’s initial funding, while a $75,000 private donation made in memory of Paul Walker provided additional support. As construction costs rose, the YMCA continued fundraising locally to help complete and outfit the space.
However, getting from funding to construction was not without delays.
The project went through multiple bidding attempts as costs and plans were adjusted, with some features originally envisioned for the addition scaled back to keep construction within budget. Once work began, winter weather caused further delays and pushed completion into 2026.
Services Underway
Construction wrapped up earlier this year, and the new wing began hosting programming ahead of Tuesday’s formal ribbon cutting.
The finished addition also gives the YMCA’s senior meal program a permanent home. Previously, meals for adults age 60 and older were served in one of the facility’s basketball gyms. Moving the program into the new wing frees the gym for recreational use while providing seniors with a space designed specifically for meals, activities and socialization.
According to Beshear, the addition is already serving a substantial number of seniors.
“Here you’ll serve more than 1,800 Y members, as well as people from across the county,” he said. “Thanks to a partnership with BRADD this facility already serves 250 senior meals each week, and also provides fitness classes for 100 seniors every day.”
BRADD remained involved throughout the process, both in administering the grant and through its existing senior nutrition partnership with the YMCA.
The ribbon cutting comes only weeks after U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie toured the completed addition in August, when YMCA and BRADD officials offered an early look at the space and the programs it would accommodate.
With Tuesday’s ceremony, the focus now shifts from the years spent securing funding and completing construction to day-to-day use, which is already providing seniors with a place for meals, exercise and other programming at the YMCA.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear joins community members for the ribbon cutting of the senior wing at Barren County Family YMCA. Gage Wilson/For Glasgow News 1
Key Facts
– Barren County Family YMCA opens new 3,000-square-foot senior wing in Glasgow
– Ribbon cutting held with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and local leaders
– Project largely funded by a $750,000 Community Development Block Grant announced in 2024
– Additional $75,000 private donation made in memory of Paul Walker and local fundraising helped finish the space
– New wing gives senior meal program a permanent home and expands fitness, education and social activities for older adults
– Officials say the facility now serves about 250 senior meals each week and offers daily fitness classes for around 100 seniors
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