Westport Weston Family Y Gets $1 Million Challenge Grant

The will reportedly get $1 million toward construction of its new 102,000-square-foot facility on its Camp Mahackeno property through a matching grant being offered by one of its trustees.

According to a report in the Westport News, citing a Y statement, Robin Tauck, a longtime resident of Westport and Weston, has pledged to match contributions of $100,000 or more toward the project, as long as they are received by Dec. 31, up to a total of $1 million.

Tauck, the third-generation co-owner of Tauck World Discovery, a travel agency based in Norwalk, specifically timed her pledge for the holiday season, according to the report. Her challenge is designed to accelerate the Y’s fundraising efforts.

The Y's goal is to raise $40 million for the new facility and complete it by 2014.

As per the Y’s website, the new, environmentally sensitive facility, designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, will offer a warm-water, therapeutic, family and teaching pool; large competitive and lap pool; improved gymnastics facility; a tween center with interactive “exergaming” equipment; a large family locker room; an early learning program for children with a playground right outside its door; a family adventure center with adequate space for increased child watch services; and a slew of other features that its current downtown facility cannot offer.

For a timeline on the history of the Y and the project, through January 2011, .