A Dream Years in the Making Becomes Reality

For decades, Georgetown families have dreamed of having a YMCA facility of their own. That dream is now about to break ground. With cornerstone support from Sport Clips, the W.D. Kelley Foundation, and the Georgetown Health Foundation—joined by the City of Georgetown and countless generous
residents—the vision has come to life. With a recent $500,000 gift from H-E-B, the new Georgetown YMCA is set to open its doors in 2027, providing the full range of programs and amenities the Y is known for nationwide.

GORDON LOGAN ON LEADING THE WAY Sport Clips Haircuts is proud to have led the capital campaign with our initial commitment of $1M to kick-start the fund raising.  We are excited about the soon-to-be-a-reality of the Sport Clips Georgetown Family YMCA on land adjacent to Wellspring Methodist Church, which was facilitated by George and Barbara Brightwell. This is a much-needed addition to the city’s recreational facilities west of I-35, which has experienced rapid growth the past few years and will continue to grow at a rapid pace.

Cat Phelps has been a key part of the YMCA’s success in Georgetown, and she will be an outstanding executive director when the new facility is completed in 2027. This has been a true community effort, with cornerstone donations from H-E-B, W.D. Kelley Foundation, and the Georgetown Health Foundation, and support from many other Georgetown residents. It’s been a long road, but we are excited for this wonderful addition to the Georgetown community. We still need some help to reach our goal, but we are confident that Georgetown will rise to the occasion to make this a truly exceptional facility.

The journey began when a group of local leaders were invited to serve as founders of a potential YMCA in Georgetown. Among them was Ron Garland, a name long associated with youth development in Georgetown. “There were seven or eight of us who were asked to look at the future of the YMCA and its capability in Georgetown,” Ron recalls. “It had been discussed before, but no real progress had been made. When leadership decided the time was right, we committed to making it happen.”

Among the earliest champions were the late George and Barbara Brightwell, widely admired for their dedication to youth advocacy and community causes in Georgetown. They partnered with Wellspring United Methodist Church to provide space for summer day camps, which became the foundation of Georgetown’s Y presence. This summer marks the fourth year of two-month-long programming on that same site—land that will eventually house the new facility.

A Community-Wide Effort

Momentum grew when the YMCA of Central Texas appointed Executive Director Cat Phelps to lead the charge. Alongside the first Georgetown YMCA board president, Danny Meigs, she helped build a volunteer board that today numbers 30 strong.

The real breakthrough came when the City of Georgetown committed $10 million to the project after several attempts to pass an ISD voter bond. “That partnership was the turning point.” says Laura Arredondo, Chief Marketing Officer at YMCA of Central Texas. “Without the city’s support, the YMCA would not be nearly the size or scope it is today. We worked tirelessly to give the community what it wanted in a YMCA facility and without the city’s investment, it would have been a very different experience.”

Subsequently, the fundraising effort began to take off under the leadership of Gordon Logan, founder and chairman of Sport Clips. Cornerstone commitments from Sport Clips, the W.D. Kelley Foundation, and the Georgetown Health Foundation laid the financial foundation for success. Their early gifts, combined with the generosity of many local families and businesses, built the momentum that carried the campaign forward. And in late 2024, H-E-B stepped in with a $500,000 contribution to help bring the project across the finish line.

What the Facility Will Offer

While the Georgetown Family YMCA storefront on Williams Drive has been a welcome beginning—offering yoga, childcare, and swim lessons—residents are eager for more. The new 55,000-square-foot facility will deliver just that, with a gymnasium, fitness center, indoor pool, multipurpose rooms, and dedicated youth spaces. Once open, it will allow Georgetown families to experience the full spectrum of YMCA programs, from robotics and martial arts to arts, outdoor education, and eSports.

“The Y has always been about more than fitness,” Ron says. “It’s about leadership development, socialization, teamwork, and helping kids—and adults—find their niche. That’s why it’s so important that Georgetown finally has a YMCA of its own.”

Looking Back—and Ahead

For Ron, one of the most rewarding moments came when he visited the day camp in operation. “Watching the leadership being provided to those young people—it excited me,” he says. “It confirmed that Georgetown is ready for its own YMCA under local leadership, and it made me grateful to be part of bringing it here.”

With groundbreaking expected later this year, the founders, board, and community are celebrating a milestone decades in the making. Yet they are also looking ahead to the work still to come—raising awareness, overseeing construction, and preparing to launch new programs that will enrich the lives of Georgetown families. As Ron puts it: “The YMCA is about turning out good citizens and good leaders for the future. We’re building more than a building—we’re building a stronger Georgetown.”