The J.E.R. Chilton YMCA at Rockwall broke ground Tuesday on a $5.2 million expansion that will winterize its pool for year-round swim lessons and add a new fitness studio to the 50-year-old building.
Construction started immediately.
Crews got to work after the Aug. 25 ceremony, according to Blue Ribbon News. The project is expected to wrap by summer 2027.
"After five decades of service, it's time to write our next chapter. We have an incredible opportunity to revitalize a building that serves thousands of members, but more importantly, it breathes new life into core programming," said Curt Hazelbaker, president and CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas. He called the project "a commitment to our community that says we're rooted in Rockwall and will continue to invest in its future."
What's changing
The expansion centers on two upgrades:
- Natatorium renovation: The existing pool facility will be rebuilt and winterized so swim lessons, swim team practices and water safety programs can run year-round. An additional changing room is part of the plan.
- New group exercise studio: A dedicated space for wellness classes and programming.
Phase one, two new paved parking lots near the building's Small Fry Fields, was already completed earlier this year.
Fundraising deadline looms
The YMCA still needs community help. The J.E. & L.E. Mabee Foundation has offered a $500,000 challenge grant, but the Y must raise $892,670 in additional community support by Jan. 13, 2027, to unlock it, according to the Rockwall Times. The Mabee Foundation, which has awarded more than $1.9 billion since 1948, funds only capital projects and structures its grants as challenges to spur local giving.
HomeBank Texas kicked off the capital campaign with a $500,000 lead gift announced in August 2025, securing naming rights to the future natatorium.
By the numbers
Harold C. Young II, the Rockwall Y's executive director, said the facility served more than 16,000 people through membership and programs in 2025. That included nearly 1,900 participants in swim lessons and Safety Around Water programming, 3,600 youth in sports, 584 children in afterschool programs and 535 campers in day and adaptive camps.
The demand tracks with the county's growth. Rockwall County ranked as the nation's second fastest-growing county in a 2024 U.S. News & World Report analysis, jumping from 123,342 residents in 2022 to 131,307 in 2023.
How to help
Residents who want to contribute to the capital campaign before the Jan. 13, 2027, Mabee Foundation deadline can donate at fundraise.givesmart.com/form/zWlkng?vid=1qm4fo.
The renovated facility is scheduled to open in summer 2027.
