Imagine driving down Chester Boulevard and seeing children playing football, soccer, softball and baseball in the abandoned lot where Reid Hospital once stood.
Nearly two decades after the hospital left its 1401 Chester Blvd. location, that vision could replace the sight of overgrown weeds and environmental mitigation work. Richmond Family YMCA has expressed interest in the site as a potential location for a new facility and sports complex.
During its Aug. 20 meeting, the Richmond Board of Public Works and Safety approved a memorandum of understanding between the city and the YMCA that opens the door to the YMCA eventually leasing the city-owned property.
Misty Hollis, executive director of the YMCA, said discussions about the Reid site began in 2023. The YMCA conducted a market study that identified the need for a youth and family center. The YMCA began expanding its sports and child care offerings, now serving more than 700 young athletes and providing more than 200 with child care.
Hollis said the YMCA approached Mayor Ron Oler soon after he took office in 2024 about the possibility of using the Reid site. Now, consultant Convergent Nonprofit Solutions plans a feasibility study to explore community support.
“One of the key elements, though, for the consultant to feel comfortable to speak to people in the community and help us gauge fundraising opportunities is that we do secure a location, because that was part of the conversations: Where would this be?” Hollis said.
The MOU expresses mutual intent that if the feasibility study finds sufficient community support, the sides would negotiate a definitive lease agreement. Oler received support from the mayor’s property advisory committee that a YMCA facility would be appropriate.
“This does seem to be a good fit for future use and aligns well with our comprehensive plan,” Oler said, “and it would be a huge asset to the city.”
Hollis said a preliminary plan includes two turf football and soccer fields, plus smaller youth softball fields and larger diamonds. The facility, combined with the Richmond Evening Optimists fields along Peacock Road, could provide hosting opportunities for weekend tournaments.
“This is a really, really important step for us,” said Michael Ingram, president of the YMCA board. “Our goal is just be here and express our serious intent to develop this project and see it through and how serious we’ve been and how excited, really, we are about the opportunity that may lie before us.”
Reid Health is completing environmental remediation, and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management will impose usage restrictions. Oler said topsoil has been removed and replaced with clean topsoil, and the roadway into the property is being rebuilt. Any future YMCA building at the site would be to the north on clean soil that was not contaminated, Oler said.
Bob Bever, the YMCA’s attorney who explained elements of the MOU, called the potential development a game changer for the city’s youth and for the U.S. 27 corridor.
“I’m just as excited as can be,” Bever said.
Ken Paust, president of the board of works, said the project meets community needs.
“It’s very exciting,” Paust said. “People are going to get very excited about this.”
A version of this article will appear in the August 26 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
