(KAIR)--Officials with the Atchison YMCA have taken a huge step towards expanding the facility.

Executive Director Lorin Affield says the organization has acquired the properties directly to the east of building, which, he says helped clear a major hurdle in the expansion project. He says “we are so grateful for the property owners to be able to allow us as the YMCA, and not only the YMCA, but to be able to create the impact that the YMCA is truly able to bring forth in our community that we all want to see, would not have been possible without the cooperation and the willingness of the property owners to the east of us, to help us realize this new YMCA for the community.”

Affield adds that the planned expansion will add a great deal to the building, while at the same time, keeping the old structure intact. He says that “we will keep the 1980 portion of that building, that will be totally remodeled, and then you can look at a new wellness center, you can look at a gym, you can look at some community meeting rooms with...one of them will have a teaching kitchen in there...expanded kids zone area, teen center...in addition to the walking/running track as well as additional group exercise studios to be able to truly impact the community the way that we need to be able to do moving forward with this new YMCA.”

Affield says the YMCA has been an important part of the Atchison community for over one hundred years. “When you look at the longevity of the YMCA and the impact that it has had...the YMCA has been in Atchison since 1872. What's unique about this Y in this community, is that the Y has changed and adapted to meet the community's needs over that course of a hundred plus years, and this is just another case where we are adapting and changing the Y to meet the needs of the community moving forward.”

No timetable for the project has been announced, but Affield says the YMCA will be fully operational during the remodeling.