KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Big changes are happening at YMCA of East Tennessee in the coming months with a closure of a longtime facility and the opening of its largest, new, state-of-the-art community center.

YMCA of East Tennessee CEO Jim Dickson announced Wednesday that its Bob Temple North Side YMCA will close operations by the end of the year. The staff at North Side Y will have the option to relocate to the new location, Tennova Family YMCA on Dannaher Drive in Powell. That location is the current site of the Tennova Health & Fitness Center.

“Our chief motivation for relocating our services is to expand our impact and better position our services to reach more of our neighbors in need,” Dickson stated in a news release on the changes.

According to the nonprofit, the Tennova Family YMCA will reopen at 7540 Dannaher Drive in partnership with Tennova Healthcare. The state-of-the-art location includes both a warm-water therapy pool and a 6-lane lap swimming pool, basketball court, racquetball and squash court, climbing wall, a large workout center, indoor and outdoor track, steam rooms, saunas, whirlpools, in-house massage and spa services, in-house nutritionist, and more.

“In anticipation of this partnership, we have already placed an order for brand new workout equipment, including treadmills and other cardio machines as well as a full line of strength equipment,” Dickson states. “With this partnership, the Tennova Family Y will become the largest facility within the YMCA of East Tennessee association.“

The soon-to-close North Side Y has “a long history of service, where tens of thousands of children have learned to swim, played sports, attended summer camps, and received quality after-school child care,” Dickson stated. “You, our staff team of the YMCA of East Tennessee, are a special group who have long supported our mission to help those who need us the most. The Y remains committed to the North Knoxville and Halls community, and this new location and improved facilities will better serve our community for years to come.”