Bemidji YMCA project gains board support; hire of local leader planned

BEMIDJI — Fargo-based YMCA of Northern Sky is making moves indicating its fully committed to building a Bemidji Y.

Next to Bemidji’s downtown, mounds of contaminated soil are being removed and clean dirt is being trucked in to create workable plots for the wellness center and separately, a new hotel.

YMCA of Northern Sky President and CEO Steve Smith was in Bemidji on Wednesday, April 29. He said in an interview that the community can soon expect a new, local hire.

"You'll also probably see us hire an executive director that will become the face of the organization here in the community sometime in the next year," Smith said. “We'll need somebody who's up here, who's engaged, who knows the community.”

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YMCA of Northern Sky

The YMCA of Northern Sky — the board of which formally approved going forward with the project in late March — is anticipated to ceremoniously break ground on the project sometime this August. The 18-month construction project is expected to begin in spring 2027.

Bemidji-based Kraus-Anderson was awarded the contract for a $35 million, 60,000-square-foot facility. Project plans include an indoor track, aquatics center with two pools, an indoor playground, party rooms and a fitness center with weight rooms, exercise studios and education classrooms. A drop-in child care center is also slated to serve families using the YMCA.

The city of Bemidji has owned most of the 13-acre rail corridor for more than 20 years, leasing the land to building owners and phasing those leases out as development discussions began in earnest in 2018.

Larissa Donovan

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KAXE

The city and its economic development partner on the project, Greater Bemidji, received grants for contamination cleanup and to install public infrastructure for the new development.

As talks of a Bemidji Y have been ongoing since 2023, with millions of dollars in pledges so far along with a $10 million commitment from Sanford Health, Smith said the project was a catalyst for much of the progress.

"As this project has gone on, it's allowed for the cleaning to happen. Without us reaching these milestones, which the community has made possible, you wouldn't see the dirt pile that is going on that piece of property,” Smith said. “You wouldn't see the city investing the amount of money that they've invested along with the state on the cleaning of the site without the possibility of the Y being there.”

Smith anticipates the new development — with the projected daily foot traffic at around 1,000 — will expand Bemidji’s downtown.

“It's going to bring this hub of energy into the downtown in these facilities that are going to be built, that allow for other businesses to say, ‘I want to be part of that, and here's the opportunities that I have because of it,’” Smith said.

Northern Sky’s YMCA model includes a variety of children’s programming, including day camps and a residential camp in Lake Park. Smith emphasized that there are a wide range of scholarship opportunities available for family memberships, which can be around $85 per month.

“No one's turned away due to the inability to pay, but we do believe that everybody should pay something, because we think you value what you pay for," Smith said. “Twenty percent of current membership in Fargo is on a scholarship of some sort. [For] child care, as an example, 40% of those kids are on scholarship.”

The Y has another $10 million to go in fundraising. Smith said his team is exploring grant opportunities along with seeking private donations. Bemidji Rotarians are also fundraising for the indoor playground planned for the Y.