At the end of 2005, the Westport Weston Family Y Board of Directors approved all building and site specifications for the proposed Family Y facility at the organization's Mahackeno property.

The vote was the culmination of efforts by the Directors, Trustees, Staff, consultants and numerous volunteers who have worked tirelessly on a project that will result in a building that meets updated and improved safety and code requirements, allows for delivery of expanded services to children, teens, tweens, adults and seniors through Child Care, Camp and School Age, Aquatics, Fitness, and Sports and Recreation programming as well as membership-oriented activities.

This vote cleared the way for the Family Y to proceed with full design development of the proposed building. Architect Kevin Smith of Robert A. M. Stern Architects, who is also a Westport resident, prepared the initial schematic for the building and a site plan for the state-of-the-art facility, which provides ample space for expanded activities such as hiking and canoeing, in addition to the traditional programs and services the Family Y offers.

The Board established a committee to lead the "Imagine the Possibilities" capital campaign, headed by multi-generational members of the Gault, Mitchell and Tauck families. It also organized a steering committee to oversee the project. In the spring of 2006, the Board also brought new staff leadership on board when it selected Helene Weir, a veteran of YMCA management around the nation, to head the Family Y and its development efforts.

The development of the new Family Y is now in the review and approvals process. It must be approved by a number of regulatory boards and commissions including the Connecticut Departments of Transportation and Environmental Protection, the Conservation Commission, Flood and Erosion Control Board, Architectural Review Board, Planning and Zoning.

The Westport Weston Family Y recently announced the sale of its downtown facility to a local developer. The sale includes stipulations that the historic facade of the Bedford Building and Fire House be preserved, as protected by its Historic Business District designation. It also assures that the Family Y can remain in its existing facility for at least three to five years. The funds derived from the sale of the building will contribute to financing the new building at Mahackeno or, if necessary, will provide the capital to perpetuate the Westport Weston Family Y in some other form.

Families “Imagine the Possibilities” | Directors Give Go-Ahead