Tom Anderson, center, Lakewood YMCA branch manager for 25 years now is pictured assisting young tennis players in fine-tuning their tennis skill sets, at the Jamestown Area YMCA’s Paul Bush branch. Submitted photos

For about 25 years, the Lakewood YMCA has had a large presence in the community.

The YMCA, located 183 E. Fairmount Ave. in Lakewood, focuses on providing cost-attainable and effective programs for the community that focus on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The Lakewood YMCA Paul Bush branch works to assist its parent organization, the Jamestown Area YMCA.

Like most things, the Lakewood YMCA has a history-rich past. Beginning in 1974 as a Billy Jean King tennis franchise, it went through several owners before it became the Lakewood YMCA in 1991.

“After the Billy Jean King versus Bobby Riggs match in the early 70’s, Billy Jean King Tennis franchises were popping up all over the country,” said Anne Smith, a retired teacher, former Southwestern High School head tennis coach and Chautauqua County Hall of Fame alum. “Shortly after the building was named a Billy Jean King center, it went through about eight different owners and a bunch of name changes before the YMCA took it over and improved it to what it has become today.”

Prior to the YMCA taking the tennis center over in 1991, the building was owned by Paul Bush. It required a lot of personal involvement from a bunch of different people to help make the transition from a indoor-tennis center to a full-service YMCA.

One of the key people involved in the transitional process of becoming a branch of the Jamestown Area Y was David Dawson.

“I was a tennis player and Paul Bush ended up having the majority share of ownership in what was at the time the Tennis Center,” David Dawson said. “Paul has a big philanthropic heart for our community, and he kept telling me to find something to do with the Tennis Center, so I made the connection with Peter Sullivan who is also a friend, and was on the YMCA board at the time.”

Dawson, came up with the idea for an additional YMCA.

“I was going for a run and it just hit me,” Dawson said. “I knew Peter Sullivan was heading up a major capital campaign at the Y to add to the building, so as I was running I made sure to stop by his house and bring it up.”

Without the generosity of Paul Bush, the thought of opening a second YMCA — let alone one that features a popular tennis center — would have only been a dream for the leadership team of the Jamestown Y.

Additionally, several other key-players assisted in making connections and facilitating a smooth business transaction between the YMCA and Paul Bush. That includes John Cunningham, who was the YMCA board president, and Sam Price, current YMCA trustee, as well as other board members.

Finding the right person to head the new facility was important, especially in the eyes of the YMCA’s top executive.

“Without David Dawson and Peter Sullivan making the connections for us (YMCA) and helping with getting all the important paperwork filled, the thought of owning this epic tennis center might have stayed a dream,” said Mark G. Eckendorf, the chief executive officer of the Jamestown Area YMCA. “Also finding the right person to lead this ‘new’ branch into a fully operational facility was going to be the next big issue we faced.”

Finding a way to meet the community’s needs, yet maintaining a way to keep this new Y fiscally conservative, had Eckendorf formulating a plan for future success.

“The first thing I did was promote our physical director of the Y, Tom Anderson, to the branch manager position over the new Lakewood Y,” Eckendorf said. “With Tom at the helm, we started putting plans in place to make the switch from tennis center to a YMCA.”

For Eckendorf, Anderson and the YMCA’s leadership team, the pathway forward meant big changes. “We knew there was no way we could stay open just as an indoor-tennis center,” said Anderson, the now 25-year Lakewood YMCA branch manager. “Our vision was an indoor-soccer center, along with expanding a workout area, yet still maintaining at least five of the original tennis courts.”

Under Anderson’s two-decades-and-a-half leadership, the Lakewood Y’s Paul Bush branch has not only expanded over the years, but the programming offerings are unique and draw large weekly crowds.

“We added a 10,000 square foot world-class gymnastic center, and our gymnastics program is expanding under our head coaches Emily Storms and Katie Clark,” Anderson said. “Between our indoor soccer programs we have 68 teams and average 1,000 players a week — tennis programs, camps, volleyball and hockey leagues, racquetball, picklelball leagues and tournaments — we get on average about 4,500 people coming through our facilities a week.”

While certain areas of the facilities are designated for one type of programming, every square inch is used to meet the needs of the community.

“In our gymnastics center we host an Active Older Adults program, birthday parties and conduct some of our day and specialty camp programs,” Anderson said. “Just because we designate an area for one type of programming doesn’t mean if there’s a need, that we won’t use that same space.” “Take our tennis courts for example. We host, in March, one of the largest indoor basketball tournaments in the area, our March McMadness 3-on-3 tournament, where more than 200 teams on average compete and we use every one of our tennis courts and our indoor soccer center and turn it into basketball courts.”

When asked about the success of the Lakewood Y, Anderson pointed to the Y’s highly-skilled, dedicated staff. “I’ve had several staff members who’ve been along side of me for many years,” he said. “Donna Garvey’s been leading most of our youth and fitness programs. Lisa Montgomery and Molly Spasato working our welcome center, along with so many more of our dedicated Y staff, is what make the Lakewood YMCA such a great place.”

“We host several local-area high school tennis teams, and even the county tennis championships here [school],” Anderson said. “Along with having soccer players from Warren, Pa., Dunkirk, Jamestown, Salamanca, Smethport, Pa., and Kane, Pa.,  and other longer-distant areas, many who are not YMCA members.”

Yet, the YMCA has maintained the Lakewood Y’s history-rich racket heritage.

“Tennis continues to be a staple and a flag-ship program here at the Y,” Anderson said. “We have about 400 people a week who are in our Tennis Development Program, and are avid, fun-loving players of the ‘Sport of a Lifetime.'”

For more information on the programs and services offered at the Lakewood YMCA, contact the Y at 763-0303 or visit the YMCA on the web at www.jamesownareaymca.org.