Photo by Samantha Davis: Amanda Schwartz (front, left) and Ron Halgerson (front, right) surrounded by YMCA board members, faculty and Marshall chamber members cut the ribbon, officially opening the new indoor playground at the Marshall YMCA Tuesday night.

MARSHALL — The brand new indoor playground at the Marshall YMCA has officially opened to the public for local families and children to enjoy as of Tuesday evening, with several children racing inside the park after the ribbon cutting ceremony.

The indoor playground is on the lower level of the YMCA where the courts are, and has two individual spaces for toddlers and older children to play in.

“This building is approaching 23 years old. About three years ago, we started having a conversation about, well, it’s time for us to do some things. Something that’s meaningful (and) has high value,” said Ron Halgerson at the ceremony, who was on the committee for the capital campaign. “With that, we came up with a scope of improvement. Our concern was the need to address issues with young families and kids. We’ve got a fitness center that has had trouble getting repairs done … Then, we have a meeting room in the facility that is used every day for programs, blood drives, elections and meetings of all kinds.”

The YMCA also renovated its wellness center on the top floor, bringing in a new look and new equipment, which community members also took a look at after the opening of the playground.

“The Marshall Area YMCA held a private capital campaign, with the intention of renovating our fitness and wellness center, and other deferred maintenance,” Amanda Schwartz said, who also was on the campaign committee. “Our committee goals quickly shifted after the first couple meetings after it was determined that the biggest need in our community is for our kids, particularly in the winter time. An indoor playground soon became a focal point and drew a lot of attention.”

Seconds after the cutting of the ribbon, dozens of eager children waiting for the doors to open sprinted inside and immediately began climbing the new courses, trying out the slides, engaging with puzzles on the walls of the playground, and joined together to play and check everything out with one another.

The playground is cushioned throughout the space, along with safety nets wrapped around the entirety.

The money for the campaign, including the playground, wellness center and maintenance, was raised through community donations.

“Our goal of raising $750,000 was surpassed thanks to the community … We renovated our racquet ball space and put in a giant playground for anyone from crawlers to young teens,” Schwartz added. “Our completed wellness center with state of the art equipment, the improvements to our building and our brand new playground has us so proud and ready to share with our members, the community and people visiting Marshall.”

The track on the upper level also has donor recognition banners on the wall, as a token of appreciation to businesses or individuals who made a contribution to the campaign.

“Financial support was overwhelming. It certainly takes some time, but the outpouring of generosity from local businesses, individuals and Y members was fabulous,” Halgerson said. “We (also) have volunteers that really are sort of the backbone of the YMCA. We’ve got a board of directors that are all volunteers. We’ve got committees that are volunteers, so those people are active. They’re involved in everyday activities, and we really need strong volunteers to make this work.”

Adult supervision is required while children are in the playground.

Parents and guardians continued to watch the kids discover and enjoy the new area, while taking a look around for themselves.

“We are so excited for what this brings to our community,” Schwartz said. “This has been a desire of our residents for years and years. The feedback and support we have seen has been phenomenal, and we are so excited to have a palace for kids and families to spend some time, be active and make memories.”