The Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA celebrated the grand opening of its newly expanded facility Saturday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that featured remarks from Assemblywoman Linda Stender, D-Scotch Plains and Scotch Plains Mayor Nancy Malool. F-SP Y Director Karin Dreixler, joined at the ceremony by Trustees Chairman Tom Luciano and Board of Directors President Bob Evans, accepted honorary resolutions from the Fanwood, Scotch Plains and Clark municipal councils. Mayor Malool also proclaimed June 2011 "YMCA Month" in Scotch Plains. Luciano offered remarks that recounted the history of the F-SP Y, which opened in 1947, and credited generations of volunteers who helped the community center thrive. "Why does our town now have such a great Y asset?" he said. "Give thanks to the keepers of the flame, all those volunteers that had the grand vision of building a YMCA that would make this a great town to raise a family in." Dreixler, who spoke last, thanked the architects at Cornerstone Architectural Group, which designed the facility, and laughed as she presented them with "I Survived…" T-shirts. Donna and Steve Gartner, lead donors of the center’s capitol campaign, were welcomed to the main entrance of the new building and standing beside Karin Dreixler, Tom Luciano and Bob Evans, Donna Gartner cut the red ribbon. The complex’s biggest addition is a 25-yard pool and natatorium, dedicated by the Gartner family to the center’s aquatic staff, coaches and teachers. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, guests were invited to tour the newly renovated facility. Trustee Anne Flynn said that she was excited to see the completed additions and renovations. "In a big sense," Luciano said as he surveyed the new pool, "it is almost reaching a culmination of a vision that began 60 years ago….Look at how many volunteers have given a lifetime of service. This is a Y that is all about families and that’s why it is so successful." http://bit.ly/jIrGYW
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