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A $17.1 million YMCA at Wade Walker Park in Stone Mountain is expected to be open this fall. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

DeKalb County’s newest YMCA recreation center is on schedule to open in early September.

The $17.1 million construction project is set to be completed in early July and turned over to the YMCA in August, said Roy Wilson, director of the county’s Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs.

The facility, which is located in the county’s Wade Walker Park on Rockbridge Road in Stone Mountain, is the first such facility constructed by the county to be turned over to another entity for management, Wilson said.

“For us, it’s an honor to partner with them, ” Wilson said. “The county is successful because of the various partnerships it has established.”

The county is providing $14.5 million for the project, while the rest of the money is coming from the YMCA, Wilson said.

The 60,000-square-foot Wade Walker YMCA will provide health and wellness, child care, youth sports and indoor/outdoor aquatic services to more than 140,000 households, half of which have children younger than 18.

The facility will be one the YMCA’s larger buildings and will have a double gym, teen multipurpose rooms, an aerobics studio, a sauna, whirlpool and an indoor track. It will be the county’s sixth YMCA.

YMCA officials believe the Wade Walker YMCA will become the most used of its facilities. Initially, the county and the YMCA were each considering constructing smaller recreation centers, but decided to combine funding to build the facility.

While the YMCA will manage the center, the county will retain ownership of the building, Wilson said. DeKalb County will have occasional use of the facility for programs. Residents in five zip codes will be eligible for membership discounts to the YMCA.

“When you have a reputable organization like the YMCA, we have no qualms about success of that facility and what it will bring to that area of the county,” Wilson said. “I can’t think of any other I would want to turn the keys over to.”