A trio of Maple Valley mothers envisioned the day when they will be able to drop their children off for a youth program while they exercise in a gym — all at the same place.

Amy Shadd, Cora Valentine and Edina Kacese-Nagy all belong to the Maple Valley-Covington Area Moms meetup.com group, a website that allows parents to coordinate play dates, moms night out, gatherings and other activities that allow them connect and create a community.

All three said Maple Valley lacks a single location which provides activities for both children and adults.

They all support the idea of a YMCA opening up here.

“There’s something for everybody,” Shadd said.

Valentine created a Facebook page after seeing other pages for businesses like Trader Joe’s.

“I thought, it would be nice to have a ‘Like’ page for a YMCA in Maple Valley,” she said.

Meanwhile, Kecse-Nagy, who has a 2-year-old boy, worked on a petition for a YMCA in Maple Valley. When YMCA representatives made a presentation to the Maple Valley City Council April 25, however, she put the petition aside.

The presentation is said to be a part of the initial phase of the process, which Shadd, Kecse-Nagy and Valentine, hope will result in the eventual construction of a YMCA.

“This is the very, very beginning of the conversation,” said Sue Camou-Arrant, the senior vice president chief operating officer for the YMCA. She stated they have no formal plans other than to “talk to some players” and “get our feet wet.”

According to the City Council minutes from the April 25 meeting, “The YMCA wants to explore the area in South King County based upon their thoughts that it is an undeserved community.”

In 2000, Maple Valley’s population was 14,209. In the 2010 census, the population grew by 59.6 percent to 22,684 people.

The census data also showed that 32 percent of the population is under 18.

“As we continue to grow, the need is growing,” Deputy Mayor Victoria Laise Jonas said. “There’s a gigantic void here.”

The City Council scheduled a three hour tour of the New Castle and Burien YMCAs June 28.

Shadd said an important aspect of the YMCA is the fact it’s open on weekends, which would benefit working moms.

“I know people who travel to Auburn (from Maple Valley) because they like the facilities there,” she said.

The YMCA would also have a play area for children on rainy days. Currently, Shadd said their trips to the park are dependent on good weather.

Although discussions are preliminary several details have already emerged.

At the April 4 City Council meeting the idea a bond measure may be necessary to pay for the facility was discussed.

Gerken stated that a study may be needed to determine whether or not the community would support such a bond if it is needed.

The proposed location for the YMCA is at the 54 acre property owned by the city, known as the Legacy site, located across state Route 169 from Rock Creek Elementary.

Round Two of discussions

The idea for a YMCA in Maple Valley was first brought up in 2005.

The YMCA conducted a feasibility study that was completed in August 2005. The discussions ended soon after and have only resumed in recent months.

“It’s very important that it’s thoughtful,” Camou-Arrant said.

Also involved in the discussion is the Greater Maple Valley Community Center.

Lynn Roberts, the executive director for the community center, said the YMCA can work in cooperation, rather than competition over membership by doing “what’s not being done in the community.”

She proposed having a joint facility which the community center and the YMCA would share. She said this would allow the community center to get a new building, and solve the problem of appropriating the necessary funds for both.

Bill Woodcock, a 16-year Maple Valley resident and business owner, was a strong proponent of bringing in the YMCA in 2005 while he served on the Legacy Site Citizen Advisory Committee.

Woodcock stated he is glad to see conversations have resumed.

“It would be a great kick off for the Legacy site,” he said. “It would be a great asset to Maple Valley.”

Roberts said while the YMCA can help fill in the gaps where services are lacking in Maple Valley, “There needs to be a place where people can go who can’t afford a membership” like the community center, which offers a number of free and low cost programs for seniors, families and youth.

At the April 25 City Council meeting, YMCA Executive Director Jason Berry discussed “the membership for all concepts which is a sliding scale fee structure.”

So far, Kercse-Nagy says the response has been extremely positive from people she has spoken to in Maple Valley.

“Everyone is excited about it,” she said.