LEXINGTON PARK, Md. — Community members toured the future St. Mary’s County Family YMCA this week during a series of hard hat tours, offering an early look at the 65,000-square-foot facility under construction along Great Mills Road and is expected to open in June 2026. The new facility is part of the YMCA of the Chesapeake and is the only Maryland YMCA on this side of the Chesapeake Bay.
The St. Mary’s County Family YMCA, a nonprofit organization, represents one of the largest recent investments in community recreation infrastructure in the Lexington Park area.
The tours allowed residents to walk through the active construction site and view key components of the project as YMCA officials outlined the building’s features, programming and membership structure.
The facility will include an indoor pool, wellness center, two basketball courts, six indoor pickleball courts, group exercise studios, an elevated indoor walking track, and a full-size open exercise equipment room, a sauna, a childcare area for members, locker rooms, and first-floor accessible Rock Steady fitness spaces for people with Parkinson’s disease.
YMCA officials said the project is intended to expand access to indoor recreation and wellness services in the Lexington Park and Great Mills area.
Planned programming includes youth sports, swim lessons, group fitness classes, senior wellness programs and chronic disease prevention initiatives. YMCA outreach efforts will also include partnerships with local schools and community organizations.
Membership will follow a tiered pricing model based on household size. Individual adult memberships are expected to start at $64 per month, with senior rates at $56. Additional household members can be added at reduced rates, and teen-only memberships will also be available. Financial assistance programs will be offered to qualifying individuals and families.
The primary website for the St. Mary’s County Family YMCA will not launch until construction is complete, but community members can sign up for memberships at the construction trailer at 21056 Great Mills Road. Those who sign up before the facility opens will be considered founding members and will have their names displayed alongside donors on a plaque in the lobby.
Free family memberships may be available to individuals participating in the LIVESTRONG at the YMCA program, which supports cancer survivors through a 12-week physical activity program. Officials said the program is expected to launch a few months after opening, once staffing is in place.
YMCA officials also said the organization plans to provide free one-year memberships to all sixth-grade students in the county as part of their youth engagement efforts.
Construction Progress Reveals Scope Of New 65,000-Square-Foot Facility
Jenifer Lehn, executive director of the St. Mary’s County Family YMCA, provided an overview of construction progress, facility features and long-term community goals during the hard hat tour.
“This is the first YMCA in St. Mary’s County, so for many people this will be their first experience with what a YMCA offers,” Lehn said.
Lehn said the project is currently in an advanced construction phase, with exterior masonry and window installation underway, while interior work includes drywall, painting and system installation. Major systems — including HVAC, electrical, sprinkler and pool infrastructure — are being installed concurrently.
“Right now, we are working on the exterior — getting the windows in and the masonry started — while inside we’re doing drywall, paint and finishing touches,” Lehn said. “Our mechanical units have just been placed on the roof, and we’re working on wiring those in, along with the sprinkler system, HVAC ductwork and the pool systems — it’s all happening at once.”
Lehn emphasized that the facility is designed as a full-service, community-centered wellness hub, with spaces for fitness, recreation, education and social connection. She outlined key features including a teaching kitchen, multi-purpose program rooms, fitness and cardio areas, indoor basketball courts, a walking track, and an accessible pool.
“You’ll walk in and check in at the front desk, and then there will be a lounge space where people can gather, have coffee and socialize,” Lehn said. “We’ll have multi-purpose rooms for programs like Rock Steady Boxing for Parkinson’s, two full basketball courts, multiple pickleball courts, a full fitness center with cardio, strength equipment and a functional fitness space.”
Lehn noted that the YMCA aims to serve all age groups and demographics, positioning the facility as the first of its kind in St. Mary’s County and a central location for community engagement. She also outlined long-term membership goals, with plans to serve approximately 3,000 members in the first year and grow to 10,000 within five years.
“We like to go where our community needs us, not just where we are wanted. We want to be in a central place where we can make the biggest impact,” Lehn said. “We want to reach everybody. We are a YMCA for everyone.”
$22 Million Project Backed By Public Investment, Community Support
Tony Sigmon, vice president of development for the St. Mary’s County Family YMCA, said the project is expected to cost $22 million, not including the county’s land donation or donated architectural and engineering fees.
“The total project is $22 million, and that includes just the facility itself. It does not include the donation of land that the county made, and the architectural and engineering fees,” Sigmon said.
The project’s funding includes $15 million from the St. Mary’s County commissioners, about $1.7 million from the federal government, and community fundraising according to Sigmon. The YMCA is still working to close an estimated $1.25 million fundraising gap.
“The biggest was the county commissioners’ commitment of $15 million, and that was the tipping point for us to know that this was a project we could and should do,” Sigmon said. “The best part has been that we’ve had over 227 gifts from folks in the community that have wanted this to happen.”
The project remains on track for a June 2026 opening, though no specific opening date has been set. Sigmon said major upcoming milestones include pouring the pool, closing in the building, installing flooring, adding fixtures, and beginning equipment delivery around the beginning of June.
“Once the flooring goes in, then we start putting the finishing parts in — the toilets, the cabinets, the front desk, lighting fixtures and all of those pieces,” Sigmon said. “Around the first of June, we’ve got equipment that will start being delivered, and things will start looking like a YMCA that’s ready to open.”
Sigmon also confirmed the YMCA will manage the adjacent Great Mills swimming pool, allowing the organization to coordinate staffing, lifeguards, swim programs and water activities between the indoor and outdoor pools.
“It’s a management of the county’s pool, and so we will take over operations of that,” Sigmon said. “We’ll go from eight lanes of water in the outdoor pool to now 14 lanes of water total, so we will be able to do more.”
The YMCA’s impact may go beyond the building itself, according to Sigmon, who mentioned partnerships with schools, mentoring programs and outreach organizations, along with plans to provide free memberships to every sixth grader in the county for one year.
said the organization is also working with St. Mary’s County to open a new childcare center at the former Leonard Hall facility in Leonardtown.
“We’re working with the county to open a childcare center that will help address the backlog and waitlist for childcare in the county,” Sigmon said.
The center is expected to serve children from approximately 6 months to 4 years old and is intended to address a significant childcare shortage and waitlist demand in the county.
Under the arrangement, the county will provide the facility, while the YMCA will operate the center through a formal agreement. County employees will receive priority access to enrollment, with remaining slots available to the broader community.
“The county is providing the facility, and we’re going to operate it,” Sigmon said. “There’s a memorandum of understanding between the Y and the county.”
Sigmon said the center is expected to offer about 130 childcare slots and employ more than 30 staff members, creating both workforce opportunities and pathways for individuals pursuing early childhood education and child development certifications.
Community Advocacy Drives Long-Standing Push For YMCA
Joan and Troy Cowan, members of the former YMCA steering committee in St. Mary’s County, described their role in building community support for the project through sustained advocacy and outreach.
The couple said they began attending county commissioner meetings around 2018, regularly representing the need for a community center that eventually became the YMCA. Their efforts included organizing a paper petition campaign and maintaining a consistent presence at public meetings to build awareness and support.
“We started going to county commissioners’ meetings almost every Tuesday to make sure the community was represented,” Joan Cowan said. “We did the paper petition drive — we wanted to show there was real support for this in the community.”
The Cowans said they view the YMCA as a long-term investment in community development, particularly for youth, families and seniors, and expressed hope that the Lexington Park facility will serve as a model for future expansion across Southern Maryland.
“This is going to be the seed for helping our kids grow into a healthy and responsible community,” Troy Cowan said. “It’s going to be transformational over the next 10 years — but this is the start.”
The Cowans said the YMCA will provide a space not only for recreation, but for connection across age groups and throughout the broader community.
“This will be a place where different generations can connect — something that’s missing right now,” Troy Cowan said. “This is the first — let’s not have it be the last.”
Community Voices Highlight Need For Youth Programs, Safe Spaces
Jason “JW” Abney, a candidate for Maryland House of Delegates in District 29C and local community member, said the new YMCA in Lexington Park represents a significant investment in community resources, particularly for youth and families who may lack access to structured programs and safe gathering spaces.
“It introduces something that we don’t have and something that we desperately need,” Abney said.
Abney said the facility fills a gap in available services in the region, offering both recreational and social opportunities for residents of all ages. He emphasized the YMCA’s potential to support youth engagement, mentorship and workforce opportunities, especially given its proximity to Great Mills High School.
“A lot of the children don’t have options, and this is going to introduce that for them. And there are adults that don’t have options either. Now this gives them a place to go and feel at home,” Abney said. “Having it right by Great Mills High School is going to be great — it allows both facilities to kind of play off of each other.”
Abney also highlighted the broader impact on community health, noting that access to programs and shared spaces can influence not only physical well-being but also mental health and overall quality of life.
“Community health is vital because it affects everything — mental, physical, emotional, even the overall environment,” Abney said. “Having something like this in the community is going to revitalize it and make it even better.”
Ryan Daniels, a local resident and candidate for St. Mary’s County commissioner district 4 attended the YMCA hard hat tour, and said the new facility is expected to fill a significant gap in youth programming and recreational space in the Lexington Park area.
“One of the main complaints from kids is they don’t have anywhere to go, so this gives them a place to be in a safe environment,” Daniels said.
Daniels said many young people in the community currently lack safe, structured places to spend time after school, and the YMCA will provide both social and developmental opportunities. He also pointed to the facility’s potential to serve as an entry point for workforce experience, offering part-time job opportunities for students.
“They can come here after school, hang out with their friends, study, play sports — that’s huge for the community,” Daniels said. “This can be their first part-time job — it gives them a place to start.”
The YMCA’s range of amenities and programs can appeal to families and working adults, particularly those who may not be served by existing recreation options or age-restricted facilities. Daniels said the YMCA could have a measurable impact on community health and family engagement.
“Families can come here together — parents can work out while their kids have something to do in the same place,” Daniels said. “The amount of what’s offered here is more than anything else in the area.”
Daniels added that as awareness of the YMCA grows, the facility is likely to become a central resource in the community.
“As more people learn about it and see what it offers, it’s only going to grow,” Daniels said. “It’s bigger than anything else around here.”
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