The Hyannis Youth and Community Center (“HYCC”) is situated in the heart of Cape Cod’s commercial hub surrounded by hotels, restaurants, local attractions and more! The building is a short stroll (two blocks) away from popular restaurants, shops and attractions on Main Street. Only a 90-minute drive from Boston, Newport, RI and Provincetown. The Barnstable Municipal Airport, Hyannis Transportation Center and ferries to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are also nearby.

The HYCC is a 105,000 sq. ft. full service community center that primarily services the youth of the Town of Barnstable which includes the school district’s athletic departments, after-school programs, hockey and figure skating competitive organizations and community groups, and the estimated 2,500 children whose families reside within a one-mile radius of the facility.

HISTORY

The Hyannis Youth and Community Center broke ground on January 18, 2008. The $24.7 million project was funded by a $3.5 million grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a $1 million grant from the United States Department of Education, $1.34 million of private fundraising through the Hyannis Youth and Community Center Foundation and the balance of $18,863,283 was from Town of Barnstable borrowing authorization and unexpended funds. The project was expanded by the Town Council in May 2007 as it sought to increase the main rink seating capacity to 1,600 with 250 in the second rink. The gymnasium was also enlarged to accommodate a competition basketball court with two full cross courts and portable seating for 500 spectators along with an elevated three lane walking track. Additional property was added to the site along Stevens Street to accommodate needed parking and increased building size. The building of 105,000 sq. ft. now meets the requests of members of the general public and the Barnstable Youth Commission who spoke favorably on the new proposal. The project, by design, is placed in the area of Town with the greatest need. The Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Memorial Skating Rink was demolished after 52 years of service to make way for additional parking at the new facility and the completion of the attractive landscaped site which serves as the gateway to the downtown district. Center ice of the Kennedy Skating Rink has been marked with a special granite marker donated by John-Lawrence Funeral Home and Maki Monument. The completed multi-generational project is a facility which Barnstable residents can all be extremely proud!

ENTERPRISING NEW FACILITY

When the Town of Barnstable made the commitment to build the HYCC, the consensus of the building committee and town officials was to establish an enterprise account which means the facility needs to generate enough revenue through ice and other rentals, special ticketed events, advertising and resource management to allow the building to become self-funded. The building operates under the Recreation Division. Now businesses, community groups, residents and visitors can all take advantage of the facility’s resources. Several programs and ticketed events are being developed that will supplement the revenue generated from traditional use of the various elements of the facility.

TAKE A TOUR!

The TD Bank Lobby offers a large entryway to the facility with a full service reception/box office area and an information kiosk that provides local maps and retail destinations as well as recreation program listings and registration information.

The Barnstable Police Department Community Police Office substation ensures youth advocacy with opportunities for safe and fun recreational activities for kids in all of the neighboring communities. Funding for the room was generously provided by The Sammy Montana D’Olimpio Fund for Suicide Prevention.

The United Cultures Resource Room provides resources for the citizens of many cultural backgrounds that reside in the Town of Barnstable.

The HYCC Pro Shop is operated by Play it Again Sports as an annex to its popular Iyannough Road store location. Inventory includes athletic gear, exclusive apparel, equipment sanitizing services and more!

The Scudder Family Café has a full-service concession stand which is managed by Ardeo’s Restaurant. With bistro table seating overlooking the Butler Rink and free wifi service, it is a great place to pass the time and enjoy the local flavor!

The Lyndon P. Lorusso Youth Center encompasses the portion of the facility that offers after school services to the children of Barnstable, recreational programs for families and events that take place in and around the facility.

The Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank Charitable Foundation Trust Teen Center is open to all members for supervised age appropriate play. The large and open space offers coin-operated arcade games, free pocket pool, ping-pong and foosball tables, lounge areas with televisions and the Tracy Family Computer Lab, which has 8 pc stations, color printers and software programs to accommodate the needs of those who use it for homework projects, job searches, research and college and/or scholarship application purposes. After 7pm, programs are geared to more specific teenage activities and groups who use the space for their school-based clubs, social activities, games and meetings. The Center is monitored with professional staff at all times and is secured with membership card access.

The large Gymnasium offers six basketball hoops, removable bleacher seating and a curtain to break the space down into two full basketball or volleyball courts for maximum usage. A 1/12 mile elevated Walking Track above the courts offers a safe indoor environment.

The Shepley Community Room is used for everything from business and club meetings to private birthday parties, silent auctions and blood drives. Town departments, athletic teams, businesses and civic organizations are among the many groups that use the multi-purpose function room regularly. It is equipped with rolling tables and chairs to seat up to 75, four flat screen television monitors donated by KAM Appliances, a pull down screen and electronic services to accommodate multi-media presentations.

Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Memorial Skating Rink (85’ X 200’) is the premier component of the facility, named for the original outdoor covered rink which stood on the site for more than 50 years. The new rink offers year-round ice making capabilities as well as bench seating for 1,600 for hockey and up to 3,000 for non-ice events with floor seating. There is adequate space for media, a sound booth and an indoor private Skybox viewing room. The Puritan Cape Cod home team bench and the E.J. Jaxtimer, Builder scoreboard advertising are both testaments to the generous support from community leaders.

The Patrick M. Butler Skating Rink (85’ X 200’) offers the same size ice surface with bench seating for 275 and is next to the Kennedy Rink, separated by locker rooms and coach’s offices at ice level and the Shepley Community Room on the street level. Daily public skating and the popular Friday Rock Night for students in Grades 3-7 take place here. The Scudder Family Café overlooks the expansive ice surface below.

Down the stairs from the TD Bank Main Lobby (also accessible by elevator) is the Barnstable Youth Hockey Association Warming Room complete with a gas fireplace and circular benches which was modeled after the old rink. Two museum quality display cases offer space for memorabilia and championship trophies.

The Robert & Suzanne Kittredge Foundation Snack Bar is an annex to Ardeo’s upstairs café space and services the needs of the skaters, teams, coaches and other users.

The Skate Sharpening and Rental Booth is staffed seven days a week, offering top quality equipment and friendly trained staff for precision sharpening and accurate advice for beginning skaters to be sure they get skates that fit, allowing for an optimal experience. This is the point of purchase for all public skating, Rock Night, skate rentals and sharpening business at the HYCC.

The Barnstable High School Varsity Boys’ Locker Room and the Amy Ellen McBarron Varsity Girls’ Locker Room are two of the nine locker rooms that offer separate boys and girls facilities with showers, lavs, sinks and adequate space for all their needs. The two named rooms are larger and include lockers for secure storage capacity. Two more unnamed large locker rooms, four visiting team locker rooms and the Cape Cod Cubs locker room comprise the remainder of the locker room facilities for teams. Additional rooms at ice level include three coach’s offices, a rink manager’s office, the Barnstable Youth Hockey Association office, a First Aid Station and men’s and women’s officials locker rooms.

The Parking Lots and Landscaped Gardens cover about 2 acres of the campus at the HYCC, offering parking for 300 cars including accessible spaces within attractively landscaped grounds with meandering walkways and colorful gardens which are maintained by students with assistance from professional landscapers, again offering Barnstable Youths the opportunity to gain experience in a major industry on Cape Cod. In the summer months, the Mid Cape Farmers Market offers fresh locally grown produce for sale from their tented area in the parking lot and children grow their own vegetables in “The Garden” on the front lawn of the school next door.

The Barnstable Skate Park is housed within an 8,000 sq. ft area offering two of the largest outdoor concrete bowls in New England in addition to a 4,000 sq. ft. street course as well as rental services for all your safety equipment. The park is fully staffed with qualified and trained employees to ensure your enjoyment of our one-of-a-kind facility. ADMISSION IS FREE TO ALL USERS! Call The Barnstable Skate Park at 508.790.6271 for seasonal hours of operation. The park is closed between November and April. Safety equipment is required!

The skate park is made up of two basic sections, the street course and the bowls. The street course is made up of quarter pipes, a bank ramp, vert wall, a two-sided fun box with double-sided grind rails, a roll-in, large and small mobile ramps and boxes, grinding rails and other obstacles. There are two bowls. The larger one is ten feet deep and the smaller one has a varied four to six foot depth with an entry ramp. The two bowls are accessible to each other through a small gap that is a favorite of users to ollie over. Built-in steel coping surrounds the entire bowl system.

The Mission of the HYCC is to provide state-of-the-art accessible facilities for a variety of recreational programs and special events, competitive sports organizations, after school activities and opportunities for the community at large to foster educational excellence and physical growth across all generations.