With a bulldozer churning dirt for a water line in the background, about 50 local residents braved chilly temperatures Tuesday morning to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Cherokee County YMCA.

After welcoming the crowd, YMCA Board of Directors Chairman Sissy Brock began the ceremony on a personal note, recalling the $1,000 check she presented for the construction of the first YMCA as a member of the Gaffney Junior Woman’s Club.

She then emphasized the importance of the YMCA to the community.

“The community wants and needs a place for recreation and health,” Brock said.

She noted the YMCA also serves another valuable purpose: “We have fun at the Y.”

The YMCA’s chief executive officer, Mike Goforth, recounted the YMCA’s long journey from its roots at the former Belk store, to its existing location on the campus of Limestone College to what he described on Tuesday as “the finish line” for the new YMCA.

“If not for the wisdom, guidance and planning of community leaders, we wouldn’t be here this morning,” he said.

Long a community benefactor, The Timken Company and local Gaffney Bearing Plant human resource official Kendrick Meekins, pointed out the significant role the YMCA has played in his life and the role the new 32,000-square-foot facility will yet play in the lives of Cherokee County residents.

Plans call for the new YMCA to include a gymnasium, fitness center, water park, a teen center and multipurpose rooms to expand programs offered for children and senior citizens.

Outdoor recreation fields and a walking trail will be built around the YMCA.

Goforth said if the weather is favorable for construction, the new YMCA could open as soon as May and the 16,000-squarefoot water park on June 1.