Cook County YMCA

Grand Marais, Minnesota

Cook County, in conjunction with the Cook County School District have partnered with the YMCA of Duluth to create a 38,000 sf branch YMCA facility to serve the needs of the community. By re-purposing an older portion of the school facility, a new community recreation center is being created that will contain a full court gymnasium, an aquatics center, multipurpose meetings spaces, weights and cardio areas, and an aerobics studio.

In addition to the facility are increased outdoor amenities which include a new outdoor ice rink, a new lit baseball field, improved tennis courts, increased parking and a community rain garden. The design process was a collaborative effort with the community at large that included the local hockey association, the tennis association, Community Education, the School District, the City of Grand Marais, the Duluth YMCA and the County Commission.

JLG led the community through a participatory design process that ensured all stakeholders benefited from the final design.