The Billings Family YMCA features a large mural on the rear of the building, which is one of many.
Crews were painting for eight weeks.
The rest of the dream came to fruition through community and foundation contributions.
"Murdoch Foundation donated 247,000 towards this project, Fortin Foundation and Stillwater Mine, Charles M Bair Foundation, and a number of others," CEO Kim Kaiser said.
The YMCA installed two brand new play areas, one inside the childcare area, and another in the now gated out-door courtyard.
"It is an ADA playground, which is what we absolutely needed here at the YMCA. So that we're all inclusive, we're for all. We can do, and provide for all kids to come out here and this playground. It's a rubberized surface. You can tell it's pretty bouncy right, so if they fall off something, there's no concrete out here. And the kids are loving it," Kaiser said.
The playground has several additions that encourage sensory learning, as well as some classics, like the monkey bars and slides.
"It's amazing how many rules there are, they said we fit the most things into one space that they'd ever seen, so we made the most of what we had," Kaiser said.
The theme is logs, turtles, and wilderness to represent the more wild side of Montana.
They also added sliding doors they were actually scheduled to be replaced before COVID19, but now serve as an extra precaution by eliminating frequently touched front and rear doors.
The area is reserved for YMCA members, camp members, and for kids in child care while their parents are at the Y, but Kaiser says half day camps specialty camps are still available.
