For years, Britnay Paffel’s sons have participated in programs at Madison’s West YMCA — programs she said have helped her family feel supported, build community and spend more time together.
Her 4-year-old has attended the nonprofit’s early childhood education program, swim lessons and Five & Under Fabulous Funtime program, while her 7-year-old frequents its after-school and School’s Out offerings, the latter of which provides childcare on days when school is not in session.
Paffel and her husband both work full time, so she said the Y has helped ease burdens for them like childcare and transportation.
“They make it convenient for us as a family,” Paffel said. “The (after-school) program is at my (elder) son’s elementary school, so he doesn’t have to be bused anywhere — he’s just able to go directly … to that program, which has been really great.
“They do a family night, and we were able to go and meet other families. … (The Y) has been really welcoming to my children, with everything that they’ve done to help them grow and learn.”
Now a nearly 50-year-old facility, the West Y offers a variety of programming for all ages — from senior socials and activities to fitness opportunities, children’s summer camps, full-time preschool, organized sports and more — but it has outgrown its building.
YMCA of Dane County CEO Mark Westover said changing local needs and demographics have highlighted areas that demand expansion — such as childcare that includes infants and clinical care for populations experiencing health disparities.
“There’s 2,300 Ys across the country, but we’re federated, which means that we can control our programming and do whatever best meets the needs of the community that we serve,” Westover said. “We’re the Young Men’s Christian Association, but we have individuals from all religious backgrounds that utilize us, and we have partnerships from all religious backgrounds.
“It’s so critical for us to expand our reach … so we are moving from this location. … It will position us centrally to serve the needs of Fitchburg and Verona and the Madison metro.”
The West Y will soon be replaced by a new, $58 million facility on a 7-acre site at McKee Road and Spoke Drive in Fitchburg. It will include a childcare center with 100 spots for children, including infants; a 10,000-square-foot space where Access Community Health Centers will partner to provide clinical care and wellness programming; a commercial kitchen for cooking classes and nutrition programming; two gyms; an expanded fitness center; a larger aquatic center and more.
“We really are using pretty much every inch of (our current) space, and we’re really congested,” Westover said, adding that as the West Y serves more individuals who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, it’s important the organization evolve to provide the services and resources they need — and partner with other nonprofits doing the same.
“This new project will allow clinical services and community wellness programs to work side by side, reinforcing each other, and eliminating the barriers that too often prevent people from getting the care they need,” said Dr. Ken Loving, CEO of Access Community Health Centers, in a statement. He added that Access primarily serves people of low income, and 37,000 of its patients lack health insurance, so their discount program helps make care affordable.
In late June, the Y went public with a fundraising campaign that over the last two years has quietly raised over $31.2 million toward a $35 million goal to support the new facility.
“YMCAs are built by and for the communities they serve, so they’re funded primarily locally,” said Westover. “We now invite the public to come in and help support this.”
Building partner Findorff is set to break ground on the new facility in October, and it could open by early 2028.
“I’m very passionate about the project,” Westover said. “It’s so wonderful … (the) impact we can have on everybody in different ways, and they’re all interconnected. That’s what’s amazing.”
Rendering by: Kahler Slater
Funding from the heart
Westover said community support for the Fitchburg Y has already been generous. The Sub-Zero Group Foundation kicked off the capital campaign with a $15 million matching grant. Westover said Sub-Zero co-owners and siblings Jim Bakke and Debbie Schwartz grew up coming to the West Y.
“Their father chaired the campaign to build this (West) Y, so for them, it’s really paying it forward,” said Westover. “It holds a special place in their heart, and I think that’s consistent with anyone that gets involved at a Y. Once it’s in your blood, it’s kind of there forever.”
Bakke said over the years, he has come to appreciate that the Y’s impact extends beyond the activities happening inside the building.
“It helps create stronger connections between people and contributes to the overall health and vitality of the community,” he said. “Institutions like that matter.”
He said he hopes Sub-Zero’s contribution to the capital campaign will encourage others to do so.
“Projects like this are strongest when they have broad community support because they belong to the community they serve,” he said. “We believe this facility will make a meaningful difference for families in Dane County for many years to come.”
Westover said organizers are pursuing other sources of funding to fill the gap between the $35 million campaign goal and nearly $60 million project cost.
“Campaign goals are set based on whatever you feel you’re able to raise within that community,” he said. “We’re looking to leverage New Markets Tax Credits, which allow wealthy individuals to invest dollars into communities that really need (an infusion) of cash.”
He said the proceeds from the sale of the West Y will directly fund the new Y’s construction, and organizers are also looking into government funding at the state or national level.
“If we need to take on some long-term debt, we can do that,” he added, “but it’s my hope not to do that, just because every dollar in interest I pay is one dollar that doesn’t go to support our mission.”
The West Y is listed at $4.2 million, and Westover said there are two offers on the table for its purchase. The Y will do a leaseback arrangement with the purchaser so its members can continue to use it until the new Y opens.
Westover said investing in the Fitchburg facility will not only increase the organization’s longevity in Dane County but also better serve local residents.
“The Y this year will (have been) in this community for 140 years,” he said. “What are we going to do to future-proof the Y so we’re here for another 140 years to serve (it)? … Let’s invest money and do it right.”
Michael Zimmerman, Fitchburg’s economic development director, said city staff have been collaborating with the Y from the project’s inception.
“Early coordination allowed us to proactively address challenges, align the project with the city’s long-term development goals and keep the project moving forward,” he said in a statement. “We … are proud to have partnered on a project that will serve residents for generations while strengthening Fitchburg as a destination for families, health care, recreation and community connections.”
Rendering by: Kahler Slater
A focus on childcare
Built in 1968, the West Y has established a large membership base. Last year alone, Westover said the Y provided swimming lessons for 1,900 kids in Dane County. From his perspective, a larger space is long overdue.
“We’re really space-constrained,” he said. “We do a lot of reutilizing space in this building.”
Many areas in the West Y have become multipurpose spaces as its programming has expanded to keep pace with community needs.
One area Westover has earmarked for expansion is childcare — with a particular focus on infants but extending to services for all kids 13 and under.
“The Y is responsible on any given day for the care and development and safety of over 1,500 kids — it’s Dane County’s largest childcare provider,” he said. “One of the limitations we have with this space is we can only take kids 2-and-a-half years of age and older. The Wisconsin Early Childhood Association did a study (and found) the greatest need for childcare right now is infants through the age of 3.”
The finding comes from WECA’s Center for Policy, Research and Engagement, in a January 2025 brief. Providers in Wisconsin reported over 48,000 waitlist spots, 71% of which were needed for kids under 3.
In beginning childcare earlier, the new Fitchburg facility will also bring more continuity for children, Westover said, as they progress through each age group and become familiar with the other kids and teachers in the building.
The Y’s childcare programs offer more than supervision — they also provide learning opportunities and meals and snacks (which are also offered through its before- and after-school programs).
“We make all of our breakfast and lunch here from scratch for the kids,” said Westover. “We’re in 23 different (Dane County) schools with our before- and after-school care. … And if we know it’s an underserved school, we’ll provide what’s called a Super Snack … a meal at the end of the day.”
The Y also offers a Child Watch sitting service, where adults using other areas of the facility can drop off their children while they work out or study. Westover said the program is especially helpful for student parents, who typically have high college dropout rates, to “balance the dual task of … caring for the kids and providing financially.”
The Fitchburg Y’s childcare center will include classrooms, the Child Watch center and a breakroom with lockers and a lesson planning space for staff. The area is set off slightly from the rest of the spaces in the facility and Westover said it was “designed … with teachers in mind.”
“We’re doing a lot to … prepare the kids for their future education, and (childcare) does go through 4-year-old kindergarten,” he said. “It progresses with two infant rooms, and then they get older as you go.”
Westover also said the Y helps keep childcare and classes affordable through financial help. Now, 32% of the kids in the Y’s childcare program receive financial assistance.
“The lowest income kids can participate in what’s called Wisconsin Shares, where the state will basically cover the cost of childcare for them,” he said. “At some point, there is a copay that needs to be paid, and we used to help subsidize the copay.”
But Westover and his team decided that wasn’t enough.
“(That wasn’t) the best use of our dollars because there are people living on the margins that aren’t eligible for the financial assistance, but live below a living wage here in Dane County,” he said. “So we put together a matrix to address that. It’s based on the number of kids in a family under the age of 5, and then family income.”
For instance, a family making $74,000 annually with three children under the age of 5 can receive Y childcare at a 30% discount.
“If you’re a family that makes a nice living, (childcare costs are) a temporary setback,” Westover said. “It’s not going to jeopardize your financial future and retirement and things like that. But if you’re living on that margin space, that can be really detrimental and set you back for the rest of your life. … And again, it’s workforce enablement. We don’t want families to have to choose: Do I work or do I stay home with the kids? We want them to be set up for the best future possible.”
Rendering by: Kahler Slater
Wellness for all ages
The new Fitchburg Y will also answer a call for expanded senior offerings. The West Y’s fitness center, which Westover jokes passersby would never suspect based on the building’s exterior, typically serves a high number of seniors.
It’s another space that has been largely outgrown, and Westover said the new facility will be a boon to older community members looking to improve their health and wellness.
“We have what is called an eGym,” he said. “You go to the first piece of equipment, you scan in, and it automatically adjusts the equipment for your size. You do a strength test … and after you go through all 11 pieces of equipment … it will assign a biological age relative to your real age and strength. Our average user after six months is 25% stronger and reduces their biological age by over 17 years.”
The Fitchburg Y’s fitness center will span two levels of the facility, with spaces for machines and equipment, designated class areas, and a running track. The track will be lined with windows to outdoor views and, inside, will overlook two gym spaces for various sports programming. The gyms will have bleachers for families to watch basketball, pickleball and volleyball games.
Not only will the new Y better accommodate existing programming, but it will create opportunities for new programs and community partnerships.
“Access Community Health Centers … will have primary care physicians and behavioral health colocated at the Y,” said Westover. “We will be doing strategic planning with them to identify how to leverage this partnership so that we can best meet the needs of the community and improve health outcomes.”
The clinic is expected to make care accessible to around 5,000 people.
“I think the emergency room becomes a lot of people’s default primary care physician,” Westover said, noting that many individuals from underserved communities lack access to adequate care. “This will alleviate a lot of that stress.”
He said the Y has collaborated with Access in the past on programming related to diabetes, but the new facility will vastly expand care options.
“People don’t think of the Y as being part of the healthcare system, but we really are that preventative care that keeps people from getting sick,” he said. “And then when they’re diagnosed with a chronic disease, we can have some interventions.”
He cited a partnership with UW Health, whose dieticians run a program called Lifestyle Change through the Y.
“We should be able to get better health outcomes by leveraging their expertise,” he said. “We’re incredibly excited about it.”
Loving said the new Y location will mark Access Community Health Centers’ sixth clinic and will serve many people from the Meadowood and Allied Drive neighborhoods, in addition to Fitchburg residents.
“Access will operate a full-service clinic within the facility, providing comprehensive primary care, behavioral health services, physical therapy and preventive care to patients regardless of their ability to pay,” he said in a statement. “The clinic space connects directly with Y wellness areas, so that community members can move between clinical care and fitness, nutrition and prevention programming without barriers.”
Rendering by: Kahler Slater
A walk through the facility
The Fitchburg Y’s design aims for inclusivity and practicality, Westover said, adding that its architect, Milwaukee-based Kahler Slater, focused on creating a functional layout and a pleasing aesthetic.
“We had (designed) a beautiful building, but we didn’t want it to be intimidating,” said Westover. “We want to make sure that everybody sees themselves there, not like a country club. … I think people feel more comfortable going to the Y.”
Large windows on the building’s exterior will allow for swaths of natural light, and a playground near the facility’s entrance aims to make families feel welcome.
An aquatic center will house two pools — one slightly warmer, with a zero-depth entry and play area for children, as well as a propulsion channel Westover said is akin to a lazy river. A second, six-lane lap pool will accommodate swim teams and other more advanced members.
“The pool is a pretty common area that people come to know the Y, with swim lessons started at a young age,” said Westover. “We also run a program called Safety Around Water, where we partner with schools and other nonprofits to identify kids that would never get the chance to do swim lessons, and we put them through an eight-week program.
“It’s a chance for them to get accustomed to water … (learn) basic skills to be able to get to shore, safety and then we also teach them what to do if a friend or a loved one would fall in.”
On the building’s second floor, a classroom called the Exchange will adjoin a teaching kitchen, where courses and presentations on diabetes prevention, cooking for one, and more will be provided. An area just outside of it provides a community gathering space.
“Coming and building community is one of the most important things that individuals can do within the Y,” Westover said. “It allows them to build that network of friends. … Having intentional spaces for them to come and be able to do that is critically important. That social capital that they build is equally important to anything that they’ll do in any of our fitness studios or the pool.”
Windows in the lounge space, like those in the building entryway, will overlook the pool so people can watch the activities.
Westover said the Y is working with the city of Fitchburg to ensure transportation to-and-from the new facility is broadly accessible. He said organizers are being mindful of the West Y’s current membership while working to accommodate new populations.
“I’m hoping that Fitchburg can do a couple things for us — move a bus stop so it’s directly outside of the Y, and there was some conversation about maybe putting BCycle there. … We’ll have those conversations, but nothing has been arrived at yet. They’ve been fantastic to work with, though, I can tell you that.”
Julia Arata-Fratta, mayor of Fitchburg, said the city’s new Y will represent more than a building.
“It is an investment in the health, well-being and future of our community,” she said in a statement. “This facility will provide opportunities for children, families, seniors and residents of all ages to connect, stay active and access important services close to home.”
