By Anna Guido
Enquirer contributor

Dan Haglage (left) and Jeff Haglage of Haglage Construction in Blue Ash get a workout as they put a new treadmill in place at the Lakota YMCA in Liberty Township this week. (Michael Snyder photo) | ZOOM |

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP - Booming membership at the Lakota YMCA means the facility is growing again.

A 3,500-square-foot addition that will quadruple the size of the Y's fitness center is under way and should be completed in June.

The $400,000 project also will enlarge the Y's administration offices, lobby and nursery and will involve renovations to another 4,000 square feet.

It is the Y's second major improvement in less than a year.

"Our membership has grown 80 percent in the last year," YMCA board president Greg Amend said.

The Lakota Y has more than 5,000 members, up from about 3,000 in July when the new indoor and outdoor pools opened.

Executive Director John Schaller said the new pools have been a draw in the latest membership surge.

"People are starting to see what a great value our YMCA is," Schaller said.

At $1.7 million, the swimming pool project was the Y's most expensive improvement to date. A new outdoor pool was built and the original outdoor pool was enclosed, offering year-round use.

A substantial growth in membership two years ago is what enabled the Y to build the new pools.

"We try to do things in an affordable manner to keep dues reasonable," Amend said. "And we had to look at what the membership was asking for."

Jeff Tunning, who works out at the Lakota Y at least five days a week, said he's noticed the fitness center has grown more crowded in recent months.

But that doesn't bother him. "I'd rather have a lot of people around," he said. "It motivates me."

The Lakota Y, at 6703 Yankee Road, also has a gymnasium, racquetball courts, aerobics room, pre-school/day-care center, outdoor roller hockey rink and climbing wall.

Plans for the future include another gymnasium, second-floor running track, teen center and indoor playland.

But which comes next?

"Anytime you finish a building project, you have to step back and assess where your needs take you," Schaller said. "After this project, we'll step back and see where else we can make an impact."

E-mail annag1129@cs.com