Silver Bay YMCA Receives $1M Federal Funding for Fisher Gymnasium

Federal funds to support historic renovations and year-round wellness programs

Silver Bay YMCA was recently notified that its request for $1 million in funding from the Congressional Community Project Funding was granted.

Silver Bay YMCA thanks Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) for their support of the appropriation within the federal budget.

“We are so appreciative of our New York delegation in Congress recognizing and supporting the need for creating new jobs as well as increasing access to health and wellness in our area,” Silver Bay YMCA CEO Peter Doliber stated.

This funding will be used to complete Fisher Gymnasium capital improvements. Fisher Gymnasium, built 118 years ago, is currently used mostly as a seasonal facility due to being largely unheated.

“The renovation of the gym will follow strict historic preservation guidelines so the building will have all the necessary heat and air conditioning without compromising its historic integrity,” explained Doliber.

The funding will create a winterized, year-round facility offering programming designed to improve the health and well-being of seniors, youth, families, and adults within the communities of Silver Bay, Hague, and Ticonderoga.

Currently, only the fitness studio and dance studio are winterized. Once completed, Fisher Gymnasium will be able to offer more fitness and wellness classes as well as indoor activities such as pickleball. Additionally, Fisher Lounge will reopen as a community gathering spot. These improvements will positively impact the physical and mental health of local residents and create jobs.

Doliber said, “We look forward to serving our community in a greater way with a wellness center and a place for folks to congregate and enjoy one another’s company year-round!”

About Silver Bay YMCA: Silver Bay YMCA, founded in 1902, is in Silver Bay, NY, just minutes south of Hague. Its 700-acre campus along one mile of Lake George shoreline offers a breadth of programs for all ages. Silver Bay YMCA is consistently ranked one of the top ten family reunion sites in the country and is on the National Register of Historic Places with the U.S. Department of the Interior. As a mission-based charity, Silver Bay YMCA offers outreach programs in addition to its core activities as a premier conference and family retreat center. Learn more about Silver Bay at www.silverbay.org.

Our MISSION: To foster relationships, strengthen communities and nurture spirit, mind, and body for all.

Our IMPACT: Because of Silver Bay YMCA, connections between people and family are stronger. People are more connected, respectful, and caring. They have the confidence to develop to their full potential and to positively impact the communities in which they work and live. As a result, communities are more dynamic, inclusive, and diverse. As stewards of Lake George, we inspire people to be stewards of the environment while they are visiting our magnificent campus and in their home communities.