YMCA proposes Woodruff location in partnership with Lakeland Fitness and Golf

The owners of Lakeland Fitness and Golf are in discussions with YMCA of the Northwoods to establish a local YMCA expansion to their current Woodruff facility, both parties announced last week.

“Our family is excited to explore the possibility of bringing a YMCA to the Lakeland community. Partnering with Lakeland Fitness and Golf Center as Phase 1 of this project allows us to build on an already strong foundation of health and wellness,” Lakeland Fitness and Golf owners John and Shelly Weis stated in the Oct. 1 announcement. “This vision is about creating a true community anchor of shared interest.”

Linda May, CEO of YMCA of the Northwoods, told The Lakeland Times Tuesday that the first step of the process is to form a steering committee and conduct listening sessions, community needs assessments, pre-concept design, and stakeholder conversations to explore the feasibility of the project.

“A Y doesn’t build a Y, a community builds a Y,” May told the Times. “We are invited into communities and then we build it specifically to the community needs.”

The YMCA is a nonprofit organization, May explained, with each YMCA association working as its own entity. YMCA of the Northwoods operates two primary locations: the Beck Family Center in Rhinelander (with the Youth Development Center) and the Flambeau River YMCA in Park Falls.

What makes Lakeland Fitness and Golf a good potential partner, May said, is the way it is operated.

“It is run by giving back to the community and services community health, so they’re aligned right,” May said. “The owners see it as a seed for something more. They really want to change peoples’ health goals and outcomes ... They built Lakeland Fitness because they knew there was a need for the community. Both of them have yearned to strengthen the community even more.”

While the YMCA is known for fitness and wellbeing, a Lakeland-area YMCA could potentially help address other local needs.

“The Y is the largest provider of childcare in the country,” May said.

In Rhinelander, the YMCA of the Northwoods offers childcare from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Youth Development Center.

The decision, or ability, to provide childcare at a potential Woodruff YMCA is one of the many things that will likely be examined by the steering committee over the course of the next couple months. May said the YMCA is working with Grow Development to conduct “interviews of community interest.”

“They are a consulting firm, they’ve done over 600 Ys … they’re very good at what they do,” she said.

May indicated there will be town hall meetings for the general public to attend and give feedback about the proposal. Both parties, she said, hope to have data gathered no later than “the end of January,” at which point, they will assess the next steps.

“Collectively, we decide what can we do for the Lakeland area,” May said.

Lakeland Fitness and Golf was established in 2020 and is located off Highway 47 behind the Woodruff Post Office. May noted there is an appropriate amount of land around the facility for an expansion.

Michael Strasburg may be reached at [email protected].