Meridian buys Homecourt YMCA building, Y will build new center in south Meridian

Teya Vitu//May 16, 2016//

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The YMCA Homecourt facility will become Meridian Parks & Rec's first indoor recreation center. Photo by Teya Vitu. — The YMCA Homecourt facility will become Meridian Parks & Rec’s first indoor recreation center. Photo by Teya Vitu.

The city of Meridian has agreed to buy the Meridian Homecourt YMCA facility for $4 million on Sept. 30.

The sale provides about a quarter of the funding for the Treasure Valley Family YMCA to build a new $18.5 million full-service facility near Amity and Eagle Roads.

In turn, the 48,960-square-foot Homecourt structure at 936 Taylor Ave. will give the Meridian Parks & Recreation its first indoor recreation center. The building has four basketball courts and space used as a YMCA gym.

The city now partners with schools for public use of indoor gyms when school is not in session, and the Boys & Girls Club of Ada County when facilities are available. Meridian will maintain these partnerships but starting in October will have indoor recreation available all day at Homecourt, Mayor Tammy de Weerd said.

The Meridian Homecourt YMCA has four indoor basketball courts. Photo courtesy of city of Meridian.

“We have a lot of demand for daytime programs,” de Weerd said. “The way we get things done is working with others.”

Homecourt does not have a youth activity center, lobby or community center, all of which will be incorporated in the new Y in south Meridian that is still under design, said Scott Curtis, senior vice president of the Treasure Valley Family YMCA.

If “aggressive” design work and raising the remaining $4.9 million can be met, Scott hopes to start construction in late fall and open in late 2017.