Intermingled with the sounds of basketballs slamming against hardwood floors, kids laughing and the constant whir of cardio machines are the productive buzzes of saws, hammers banging and gruff ladders scraping against concrete floors.

The new 27,000-square-foot expansion of the Missouri Valley YMCA is nearing completion, and soon, all noise will be that of healthy achievement.

"The best part is going to be, in my mind, just the amount of space," said Brent Kleinjan of the new Life Center expansion; Kleinjan is the senior program director at the YMCA. "It's going to be basically tripling the size of the current space."

The Life Center is 6,000 square feet, he said; the current space will be just for cardio machines. Not just normal cardio machines, either, but ones with 17-inch LCD televisions attached.

Kleinjan said about 75 percent of the machines will have the screens, and about 20 of them will have iPod integration. Members also can plug a USB stick in and record the workout time and distance, then enter it into a fitness Web site to track workouts.

Fancy stuff.

Further additions to the new Life Center will be a new line of hammer-strength, plate loaded equipment, which Kleinjan characterized as professional-athlete grade.

Three new fitness studios set the stage for group fitness.

"The expansion of the studios is just going to be wonderful," said Mandy Schaaf, land and water fitness coordinator. "We'll be able to offer various activities at the same time, which will be good for people wanting to try different classes."

The new cycle studio will hold five extra bikes and feature a video screen showing the hills, valleys and flat stretches that cycle class takes riders through. And riders won't have to put away those awkward stationary bikes anymore, Schaaf said.

Custom murals adorn the walls in each studio and natural light comes in through large windows. The old group fitness studio will become a private workout center and the former cycle studio will be used for childcare.

Perhaps the biggest addition is an expanded gymnasium, holding 12 additional basketball baskets and a suspended track.

"In terms of sports, basketball in Bismarck is kind of No. 1, just in terms of number of people and children who play," said Kleinjan.

New programs include wellness programs and classes, with additional focuses on children and childhood obesity.

The expansion is on the north side of the building, with additional parking on the west side. Realignment of the parking lot will add 60 spaces, with about 80 spaces in the new lot.

Ernie Godfread, co-chair of the capitol campaign, said the expansions are to keep up with Bismarck's growth. They hope to add 2,500 new members in the next few years, and they're hiring to staff the new spaces and classes.

The facility should be complete by October. About $1.3 million has been raised toward the $2 million capitol campaign. The YMCA also received several grants toward the expansion.

"I don't think anyone has any idea how big it's going to be and how nice it's going to be," said Kleinjan. "It's just a massive space."

(Reach reporter Crystal R. Reid at 250-8261 or at crystal.reid@bismarcktribune.com.)