Dutchess County Youth Opportunity Union Unveils New Renderings

Dutchess County's YOU Program has unveiled renderings of the upcoming project and commits to the focus on recreational, educational, and health opportunities.

Dutchess County Legislature Shares Update on YOU Project

Dutchess County's Youth Opportunity Union, the upcoming countywide youth center, continues to move forward with plans having undergone months of design, value-engineering and re-design by world-renowned, Poughkeepsie-based MASS Design Group and its associates. Last week, the Dutchess County Legislature was updated on the project by the County Executive's Office at the Public Works and Capital Projects Committee meeting. The meeting offered details in regard to the YOU's scope, amenities, cost, and fundraising ideas.

The YOU will be a multi-use facility that focuses on recreational, educational and healthy opportunities, both physical and mental, for young people. It will be the home of the county’s Path to Promise initiative that employs strategic ways to ensure all young people in Dutchess County have the assets they need — from cradle to career — to achieve their full potential as they grow into young adults.

Read More: Dutchess County's YOU Facility Already Receiving National Acclaim

The YOU, which will be located at the site of the former Poughkeepsie YMCA, will be a state-of-the-art youth facility for children and families throughout Dutchess County. It will be the home for the Path to Promise Initiative, which is an effort to ensure all young people in Dutchess County have the assets needed to achieve their highest potential.

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On their website, it says The YOU will be a visionary new community center for youth and families through Dutchess County, located in the heart of Poughkeepsie. The YOU wishes to serve the entire Dutchess County Community by creating a welcoming and inclusive space where children can play, learn and grow- from infancy to adulthood. The YOU, as a fixture of the Path to Promise initiative, will focus on recreational, educational, and healthy opportunities- both physical and mental- to ensure that young people have the assets they need to achieve their full potential.

Among its many features, the YOU center is planned to have:

A competitive swimming pool
A family pool
A gymnasium with a basketball court and track
Early learning/childcare center
Fitness center
Smart lab
Community Room
Meeting Rooms
Café with teaching kitchen

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The COVID pandemic has brought many challenges to the construction of the YOU Center. Supply chain issues, labor shortages, and work volume have elongated the project timeline and have increased the budget. Since the County cannot solicit donations on its own, a fundraising effort is currently in development to raise about $40 to $50 million for the remainder of the project in partnership with the Dyson Foundation. The County expects to launch the fundraising drive with the goal of obtaining $10 to $15 million in other government/public funding and $25 to $35 million in philanthropic contributions.

For the full gallery of renderings, click here.