Representatives from the Mathews Family YMCA, speaking at Tuesday’s Mathews County Board of Supervisors meeting, outlined plans for a new facility at Hudgins that would not only serve as a sports, wellness and activities center, but would also provide an emergency shelter for the county. They asked that the county support the project with a contribution of $300,000 over a two- to-five-year period.

Project chairman Dick Phillips outlined the YMCA’s growth since its inception in 2002, pointing out that it now serves approximately 11 percent of the county’s population and that it has a policy of “membership for all” that enables those on a lower income scale to participate.

With 27 percent of the county in the over-65 age range, the Y “is improving the quality of lives of seniors to a great extent,” said Phillips. For children, the Y instills values “you taught your kids … of teamwork, social responsibility, respect,” he said....