The Mathews Family YMCA is on the last leg of its quest for funds to build its new facility at Hudgins, and donation letters recently went out asking Mathews County residents to help “close the gap.”

Having raised $1.98 million of the $2.2 million needed for the project from private donors and foundations over the past few years, the Y is now $200,000 shy of the funds needed, said the letter. Although the goal had been set at $2.1 million as recently as February, YMCA director Sheila Pillath, said that the original figure did not include an extra $100,000 needed to upgrade the building’s storm rating.

Dick Phillips, who is in charge of fundraising for the building project, said that the site engineering survey has been submitted to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality for approval of the project’s stormwater management plan, and that, while DEQ has raised a few issues, “we don’t expect show stoppers.” Although he hopes to break gr...