Cape Cod’s newest attraction and the place to be this summer is the Hyannis Youth and Community Center (HYCC), owned and operated by the Town of Barnstable, and situated in the heart of Cape Cod’s commercial hub surrounded by hotels, restaurants, premier golf courses, beaches and more! The building is a short stroll (two blocks) away from popular restaurants, shops and attractions on Main Street. The Barnstable Municipal Airport, Hyannis Transportation Center and ferries to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are also nearby.
The HYCC is a 105,000 sq. ft. full service facility that offers daily public ice skating in two NHL regulation size rinks year round. Additionally, the complex includes the Lyndon P. Lorusso Youth Center with a 12,500 sq. ft. gymnasium set up for basketball and volleyball, an elevated walking track, a game room with Wii, arcade and table games and a computer lab with eight PC stations and color printers, all supervised by a professional staff. A café operated by Ardeo’s Restaurant, a pro shop, and function rooms for birthday parties and corporate meetings round out the expansive offerings. There is truly something for everyone! Affordable annual memberships to the Youth Center are available for Barnstable residents for $20 (non-residents pay $40). Day passes are just $5. Membership benefits do not include public skating, which is $7 for adults, $5 for students and $2 for seniors. Skate rentals are $5 and skate sharpening is $5.
The HYCC is the point of purchase for resident beach parking stickers and registration for programs like swimming, tennis, sailing lessons and more. A number of special events are planned, including the Northeast Collegiate Volleyball Tournament April 9-11, Cape Cod Life’s Seaside Living Expo on May 1 and 2, a US Figure Skating National Showcase Championship August 4-8, the HYCC Birthday Bash in September and a pre-season hockey match-up between rivals Colgate and the US Military Academy on Columbus Day Weekend.
The HYCC broke ground on January 18, 2008. The $24.7 million project was funded by a $3.5 million grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a $1 million grant from the United States Department of Education, $1.34 million in private fundraising by the Hyannis Youth and Community Center Foundation ($1 million of which came through the Lyndon P. Lorusso Foundation), and the balance of $18,863,283 was from Town of Barnstable borrowing authorization and unexpended funds.
When the Town of Barnstable made the commitment to build the HYCC, the consensus of the building committee and town officials was to establish an enterprise account, which means the facility needs to generate enough revenue through ice and other rentals, special ticketed events, advertising and resource management to allow it to become self-funded. Businesses, community groups, residents and visitors all take advantage of the facility’s resources. Affordable advertising opportunities are available. For more information, please visit www.town.barnstable.ma.us/hycc.
The mission of the HYCC is to provide state-of-the-art, accessible facilities for a variety of recreational programs and special events, competitive sports organizations, after-school activities and opportunities for the community at large to foster educational excellence and physical growth across all generations.
