BOARDMAN YMCA selects a director to run its new family-oriented facility

The 80,000-square-foot branch is expected to have about 12,000 members.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- The new D.D. & amp; Velma Davis Family YMCA is scheduled to open by summer's end, and a director for the new facility has been chosen.
Tom Grantonic of Boardman will serve as director with responsibilities to include overseeing the daily operations of the facility. He was the Community Cup director for the Youngstown YMCA for the past 13 years.
"I am excited about the opportunity the YMCA has to reach the Boardman community and those surrounding communities," said Grantonic. "I am excited about the challenge."
Grantonic is a 1980 graduate of Boardman High School and received a bachelor's degree in physical education from Youngstown State University. He began his career with the YMCA in Crystal Lake, Ill., before returning to the Youngstown area.
In 1999, he was named program director of the year in the Northeast Ohio Cluster of YMCAs.
Link to hospital
The facility is being built on the Boardman campus of Humility of Mary Health Partners, which partnered with the YMCA on the project. YMCA officials have said many family branch YMCA facilities have been built in conjunction with hospitals, but the Boardman facility will be one of the largest in initial square footage.
The 80,000-square-foot facility is expected to serve about 12,000 members. Construction costs of about $12 million have been funded entirely through private donations.
Grantonic said programming at the new family branch will be similar to what is found at the downtown Youngstown YMCA. There will be a few things missing, however, such as racquetball and strength training equipment.
Family oriented
According to Grantonic, the new facility will be more family oriented, with additions such as a family recreation pool, seven family locker rooms and family programming. He said programs at the facility will be tailored to fit the communities it will most likely serve.
The YMCA had been looking to create a branch to expand its service area and take pressure off the downtown facility, which is nearing capacity. YMCA officials have said members will be permitted to use either facility.
jgoodwin@vindy.com