When it opens on April 1, 2022, the former YMCA will be have a new name. For now it’s known as the Lino Lakes Activity Center. The city and a sports consultant are in a naming and branding process now. The city council passed a resolution to affirmed the re-opening date of April first.
“We’ve got pieces that are still unsolved, but we need to try and move forward and try and see what we can do to get some things in line,” said Mayor Rob Rafferty.
Rafferty says by the time it re-opens, the facility will have been closed for two years, first because of the pandemic, and later the YMCA announced it would not re-open the building. The city took control of it and hired consultants to help draw up a plan to make an activity center work financially.
Council Member Chris Lyden says it means a lot to the community.
“The name is important but what is so much more vital is what the facility means for the people of Lino Lakes,” said Lyden. “Whether you are one year old or 100 years old, it’s about health, wellness, fitness and sport. It’s about a place our community can call home. It will be one of the best places to put joy in one’s heart. So 144 days from now, we’re going to open this facility.”
While the city owns the facility, it is developing fitness and aquatic partnerships to run programs.
City council members say they have received overwhelming positive responses from area residents and businesses during the process of planning for re-opening.
