"If you can't change it, change your attitude." — Maya Angelou

Change can be scary because we don't know what our world will look like on the other side. Change can be inspirational as we grow and evolve into someone different from five years ago. Change can make us nervous because things may be worse for us after…or they may be better. 

We can’t stop change, so we need to look at what we can do and that is our outlook on the situation.

McCook has undergone a lot of change this decade, especially the past few years. More change has happened in the 2020s than has taken place since the last big push of the early 1980s when Heritage Hills was built on the west side of McCook and the YMCA moved from its downtown location to its current building near the high school. Over the past few years, McCook finally built a new outdoor aquatic center, hanging onto its 1937 pool until it breathed its last breath. A new ballpark project is nearing completion which will bring much-needed green space for outdoor sports, as well as retail and housing options.

And now like in the early 1980s, the YMCA is again part of the sweeping changes happening in McCook with a major renovation and expansion of its campus.

There have already been hiccups during the process - the pool was originally supposed to open in December 2025 but was not usable until a few months later. But people a) patiently waited for the pool to open; b) made different accommodations such as the swim team driving every day to neighboring pools; or c) shared their discontent and still had to wait for the pool to be done. 

Whatever option a person chose, the end result was the same - the pool opened when it could be done correctly and now the pool is filled every day with young people in swim lessons, visitors enjoying the new facility and everyone having the opportunity to use a pool year-round. 

There will be more hurdles as the YMCA completes the multi-million dollar renovation and expansion. Cardio machines and weight-lifting equipment had to be wrestled into the newly renovated space at the YMCA as the second half of the building undergoes changes. Is it ideal? No, but it is nice being close to the pool and locker rooms and everything being in the same building. And when the construction project is complete in early 2027, we will have a renovated facility that will serve and benefit the community for another generation. 

In the meantime, we have to adjust our attitudes to the situation because we need the YMCA to succeed. Whereas some cities have an in-house recreational departments, the YMCA organizes the recreation for both youth and adult sports, as well as serving as the hub for a lot more activities in the community.

The YMCA needed change and patience and positivity are needed during this evolution.

We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we can determine how we will react. We can go into it with a negative, close-minded attitude which then shapes our thoughts and ideas. 

Or we can go in with an open mind, giving the organizers and builders the benefit of the doubt to the outcome of the project. If we can try to keep a positive attitude about the inevitable changes in our community, we will all be making McCook an even better place to call home.