ENTERPRISE, Ala. (WDNews) — According to the City of Enterprise, the city joined the Enterprise Family YMCA Tuesday to celebrate the YMCA’s reopening and break ground on a new childcare facility aimed at expanding childcare and youth development services for local families.
The groundbreaking marks the next step in a partnership between the city and the Enterprise Family YMCA, a branch of the YMCA of Greater Montgomery.
Under an agreement approved earlier this year, the city will contribute up to $600,000 toward construction of the new facility. The approximately 4,200-square-foot building will provide childcare and youth development space for up to 60 children.
Mayor William E. Cooper Sr. attended the event with City Administrator Jonathan Tullos, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer LeeAnn Swartz, YMCA leaders, board members and community partners.
“Safe, affordable and high-quality childcare is not simply a service for the families who use it,” Cooper said. “It supports working parents. It supports workforce participation. It supports early childhood development. And it contributes to the economic vitality and quality of life of our city.”
The new facility will be built on the YMCA’s existing Enterprise campus and will be owned and operated by the YMCA. The organization will remain responsible for the design, construction, operation and childcare services.
“We are not simply investing in bricks and mortar,” Cooper said. “We are investing in children. We are investing in families. We are investing in the workforce of today and the leaders of tomorrow.”
The Enterprise Family YMCA has served the community since 1970. In August 2025, it became part of the YMCA of Greater Montgomery.
According to YMCA leadership, approximately $1.35 million has been invested in the Enterprise campus over the past year, including improvements to the basketball gym and new equipment in the fitness center.
Enterprise Family YMCA Executive Director Jenie Jones said the organization’s next chapter builds on decades of community service.
“For 55 years, generations of families have come through the doors of the Enterprise YMCA,” Jones said. “This next chapter allows us to build on that history while growing alongside the needs of our community and creating new opportunities for children and families.”
The childcare facility is being developed in partnership with the City of Enterprise and Paths for Success. Once completed, it will add capacity for childcare and youth development programs while complementing the YMCA’s other family-focused services.
AJ Hernandez, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Montgomery, said partnerships are important when addressing community needs.
“The YMCA has always been about bringing people together to strengthen families and communities,” Hernandez said. “When there is a need in a community, partnerships like this allow us to come together and create something that is greater than any one organization could accomplish alone.”
Tuesday’s event also celebrated the continued development of the Enterprise Family YMCA following its affiliation with the YMCA of Greater Montgomery and Jones’ appointment as executive director.
Cooper said the investment is designed to benefit Enterprise well into the future.
“When you plant a tree, you know that it takes time to grow,” Cooper said. “You may plant it knowing that someone else will one day enjoy its shade. That is the nature of community. We build things today that we may not personally benefit from tomorrow, because we know that the people who come after us will.”
“The roots of the Enterprise YMCA are strong,” Cooper said. “The foundation has been laid. And today, we are helping give those roots room to grow and those branches room to reach farther.”
Image Source – City of Enterprise
