In local annals of great achievements, the soon-to-open Mathews Family YMCA will take a prominent place. Like the Gloucester-Mathews Humane Society’s animal shelter a decade ago, the new Y was an ambitious project that held much promise for the community, but also posed a seemingly insurmountable problem: where WILL we find the money to build it? And just as the shelter took shape under capable local leadership, the Y did the same, guided to its new form by the fundraising genius of Dick Phillips and his dedicated committee. The new Y is so much more than a gym, providing programs for youth and adults regardless of their ability to pay, and, in time of emergency, a modern shelter. While the local Y has been operating from a small building and satellite facilities since 2002, now its activities will be gathered under one roof at Hudgins. It has taken shape with the $2.3 million raised by Phillips and his team; state assistance obtained by local authorities has hardened the structu...