Welcoming Wellness

YMCA of Monticello opens its doors with ribbon- cutting ceremony

By RICHARD A. ROSS

MONTICELLO, NY — A wonderful and enduring gift to the Monticello Community was unveiled on November 24 as the ribbon was cut to officially open the new YMCA of Monticello’s Wellness Center. Located on the second floor of Monticello High School, with a row of state-of-the-art fitness machines that will be freely accessible to Monticello students and to members of the public who become members, the new YMCA will offer a panoply of activities to serve people of all ages.

The new YMCA of Monticello joins more than 2,600 other YMCA facilities across the nation that serve upwards of 20 million people with the not-for-profit’s mission of “building a healthy body, mind and spirit for all.”

The YMCA programs and its new wellness center will provide an important resource for the community year round. One of its roles will be to offer young people something worthwhile to do in what Monticello superintendent Patrick Michel refers to as “the bewitching hours between 2:00 and 6:00 p.m.” Students in grades K through five can partake of youth soccer, youth basketball, peewee sports, floor hockey and karate/tae kwon do. Sixth through 12th graders will avail themselves of intramural soccer, basketball, volleyball and karate/tae kwon do. And for those who are age 19 and up there will be recreational basketball, co-ed volleyball, yoga, pilates and tai chi. The school’s dance studio which currently serves Monticello’s Fine Arts Academy will house the latter activities.

For those interested in a structured fitness program, the YMCA offers personal trainers for an additional fee.

On hand for the Wellness Center ribbon-cutting ceremony was YMCA of Middletown Executive Director Randy Grant, who welcomed the large contingent of people who had come out for the event. He was joined in the ribbon cutting by Carl Bonitz, chairman of the board of the Middletown YMCA, Monticello school board president Alice Van Etten, long-time Monticello resident Judy Rhulen and assemblywoman Aileen Gunther.

Linda Cellini will serve as the YMCA’s Developmental Director. She and Michel spoke at the ceremony. Each welcomed the attendees, many of whom had purchased 50-50 raffle tickets and partook of a delicious lunch. Thunder 102’s Mike Sakell was on hand to transmit the proceedings over the airways.

Also on hand were Town of Thompson supervisor Tony Cellini and Monticello Mayor Jim Barnicle.

The cost of membership for single adults to the YMCA is $22 dollars monthly plus a $25 dollar enrollment fee required of all new members. Family memberships service an adult couple and children under the age of 19 who live in the same household. The cost is $35 dollars monthly. Senior citizens pay $20 per month, full time college students under the age of 25 are charged $16 per month, fees for teens 13-18 years old are $75 dollars per year. Monticello students with ID are afforded a free membership. Youth from 0-12 can be enrolled for $40 dollars per year.

Currently the Wellness Center is open from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays and from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sundays. For more information about registration or coaching opportunities, call Ross Micelli at 845/344-9622, ext 246.

Visit riverreporter.com for an album of pictures from the ribbon-cutting event.