Home / News & Publications / Michigan Catholic News / 2010 / De La Salle buys YMCA to relieve sports congestion
De La Salle buys YMCA to relieve sports congestion
by Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published March 12, 2010
WARREN — Warren De La Salle Collegiate High School is teeming with student athletes before and after school, vying for space in the gym and common areas for sports practice and club meetings.
Hopefully, not for much longer: The school recently purchased a vacant YMCA building two miles down the road from the high school, giving the school 22,000 square feet of gym, track, fitness and weight-lifting space, not to mention an additional 5.4 acres of outdoor space.
"Our track team is running in the hallways," said Brian Kelly, the school's athletic director and assistant principal, of the current situation at De La Salle. "Our golf team is putting and chipping in the commons. We do not have all the space for our needs.
"This will give us a great deal of flexibility."
Not only was the school's baseball team state champions last year, but they were 2008-09 Catholic League Champs in baseball, football, soccer, basketball and bowling.
Principal Patrick Adams explained that the school has had its eye on the property since last summer, but it was still out of their price range. As the price came down, they were able to make an offer in February; the purchase price was $200,000, which included the workout equipment and weights left in the building.
The former Y building, built in 1981, features a gymnasium with an upper-level indoor track circling it, a workout room, auxiliary space, kitchen, offices, locker rooms with showers, and storage. "It has everything, with the exception of a pool," Kelly said.
The school's plan is to use the site as an auxiliary sport and practice center, for practices before and after school. With two practice sites, more teams can practice simultaneously — reducing the need for students to be at school before 6 a.m., as baseball, for example, does during the spring, long before the school's 7:45 a.m. start time. With additional gym and practice space, that opens up space in the school building to clubs and other groups, as well.
Vicki Granger, the school's director of public relations, said the school draws from more than 75 parishes, so some kids drive for quite some time to get to school and back. "Practice at 6 a.m. builds discipline and character, but unfortunately it ends up building character and discipline in the parent, too," Kelly said.
Although many of the students have their own cars and would easily be able to get from one site to the other, Kelly said the school is still working out the details of how to get non-driving students from place to place. However, only three of the 13 sports are played on campus currently; the wrestling team currently practices at the former St. Gertrude school gym, for example.
"Many of the groups we already have are practicing or playing off-site," he said. "We're used to being a commuter community. We're looking at transportation already."
Chris Czarnik, De La Salle's director of advancement, said that part of the reason the school's enrollment has stayed strong over the years — it's currently at 832 students — is because they've focused on students both in and out of the classroom. "There's a tremendous amount of demand on this facility," he said. "It's a good long-term investment for the school. We appreciate the fact that the school community here, including the board of trustees, recognized that."
Bro. Robert Carnaghi, De La Salle President, said the purchase was made with school funds, which they hope to replace with donations. The current school, formerly a middle school, was purchased in 1982 and has been expanded three times since then, adding classrooms, a chapel, a music room and science labs. "We took care of the academic, but what we were not able to do was the athletic," Bro. Carnaghi said.
Although no grand opening is scheduled yet, administration hopes to have the new building open before the end of the school year. As of last week, Kelly were already getting settled into the new space, moving weight equipment around moving equipment from some of the off-site locations to the new building.
Kelly said the school would continue to help out other schools by renting out space as available, especially to elementary schools. Czarnik added, "This is good for families, and so it's good for Catholic education."
De La Salle Collegiate is an all-boys' Catholic college preparatory high school, run by the Brothers of the Christian Schools.
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