Rodney Watson is excited to lead the Park South YMCA project where he spent his childhood.
DALLAS — When you’re in construction, projects can come and go. However, some projects stand out more than others.
When Rodney Watson of Westwind Building Corporation got assigned a project on Romine Avenue in South Dallas, he was surprised by the address.
“I was like, wait, you know. I was like, that sounds familiar,” said Watson.
When visiting his grandmother as a child, he spent a lot of time at the neighborhood’s YMCA. “This is where I first learned how to play basketball, first learned how to swim,” Watson explained.
Although the more than 50-year-old building has been demolished, it’s made way for the new Park South YMCA , and Watson is the project manager.
Chief Property Officer Todd Baker took WFAA on an exclusive tour of what has been their most used facility.
“It’s a great asset to the community because they’ve been waiting,” said Baker.
The facility will offer a pre-school, fitness for all ages, and provide meals for the community. Their focus is on healthy living.
“When they’re not preparing meals, they can open up the kitchen and teach nutrition,” Baker said about the Park South YMCA.
Construction for the YMCA is in its final stages. It’s expected to open in early June.
The services this new location will provide go beyond the needs inside; they also address the needs outside.
“There were all kinds of kids, you know, trying to get away from gang violence in the streets and things like that,” Watson recalled about the old YMCA location. “You could walk here, and this is a safe space. A kid could walk over here, and they wouldn’t turn them away.”
It is a space that helped grow Rodney, who is now helping to grow others.
“There is still life here,” Watson said about the new space. “There is still a great community.”
