Bismarck's YMCA is planning some changes to its parking, which will tie into some preliminary facility expansion plans that are being developed.

A committee representing the YMCA met with the park board last week, hoping to get verbal approval for proposed changes to the facility parking, which will increase the number of parking slots by 192.

Bruce Haskell, YMCA board vice president, said the YMCA is considering a 20,000- square-foot expansion next year because the facility is running out of space for its members. The YMCA is currently 120,000 square feet in size, with the last expansion occurring in 2001 with the addition of the child care development area.

Architect Don Barsness, who is also a member of the YMCA's board of trustees, said there are three different areas of parking adjacent to the facility - owned, leased and shared.

The YMCA owns about six acres of property, leases property on the southeast side for its child care area and parking, and shares parking with the park district's VFW Sports Center further to the south.

The YMCA wants to realign its east access from Washington Street with Cherokee Avenue, which means moving the present access to the south. This new access would better serve both the YMCA and the park district's VFW Sports Center, Barsness said, and provide many of the new parking spots.

The YMCA also wants to build a new parking lot on its west side, but this will mean shortening a Tom O'Leary golf course link from just more than 100 yards to 75 yards. The west side parking lot will provide about 80 slots and will feature a shelter from errant golf drives.

YMCA executive director Andy Dahl said there are some expansion plans to the facility that will be detailed this fall. Hopes are to begin construction next spring.

With the park board's approval of the parking project, the YMCA will begin assigning costs for the parking project, which is estimated at $240,000. The project will include a road connecting the west parking lot with the southwest child care parking lot.

Dan Hovland, outgoing park board president, said that the park district always has had a great relationship with the YMCA and feels the district should provide a 99-year lease to the YMCA. But he said the five-member park board is seeing a significant turnover with three new members being installed, and the decision should be left up to the new board, which convenes for its first meeting July 22.

Dahl said the YMCA has been in discussions with the park district staff as it moves forward with its expansion plans.

The outgoing park board did approve a land swap with Pete Brendel.

Brendel will be receiving just under an acre of property atop a hill overlooking Sleepy Hollow Park. In return, the park district will receive nearly six acres of privately owned property next to Sleepy Hollow, plus easements on the west side of the land Brendel is receiving for a bike path. This brings the total property the park district is receiving to nearly eight acres.

Provisions of the contract require the structure being built by Brendel not be visible from the park.

The board unanimously approved the land trade.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@;bismarcktrib-une.com.)