Hurricane Sandy left her mark on the Princeton Family YMCA. Water seeped into the lower level exercise area during the storm last October, knocking some of the cardio and weight equipment out of commission. The damage, though quickly contained, was yet another reminder to the YMCA’s board of directors that the 60-year-old building on Paul Robeson Place was in serious need of renovation.

The board had already begun fundraising for “Project Jumpstart,” an initiative designed to update the Wellness Center of the athletic building the organization shares with the YWCA. The gym was upgraded last fall, and has been doubled in size since the YWCA stopped offering its gymnastics program and gave its half of the space to the YMCA. The expansion means the YMCA now has a full basketball court.

The next phase, starting in June, will involve knocking down walls to create an airy, modern, open space with a centralized area for new cardio equipment, strength training, and free weights. To be carried out by the Princeton-based Yedlin and Company, this is the first major construction project at the YMCA in about 40 years. The fitness center will stay open during the construction, which is targeted for completion by September 1 of this year.

“The [Princeton Public] library is complete, the Arts Council is complete. We see ourselves as the last piece of the puzzle,” said Paul Zeger, senior program director of the YMCA. “What we can offer is family time. This is a place where whole families can come and take part in so many activities, either together or doing different things at the same time. And we want it to be in a facility that they deserve.”

Mr. Zeger said the YMCA will spend close to $200,000 on new cardio and weight equipment, and about the same amount on construction. The need to upgrade has become more pronounced in recent years, as new, state-of-the-art fitness centers have opened in the area. “Memberships have been going a little downhill,” Mr. Zeger acknowledged. “We’re situated between some of the new gyms, and that has taken some people away.”

But Mr. Zeger said the YMCA’s location, within walking distance of downtown and some local schools, give it an advantage. Several middle-schoolers already take part in the Seventh Grade Initiative, a statewide program that gives free membership to any child in seventh grade. Additional programs serve area children who walk to the YMCA from their homes and from school.

As part of the renovation project, the Momo Brothers, who own several restaurants in Princeton, will be taking over the YMCA’s kitchen and cafe in September. The cafe has been closed since it sustained damage from Hurricane Sandy. “We will work with them to help deliver healthful eating, which is a big push for us,” Mr. Zeger said.

Safety is another focus of the project. A member services desk will open, with a fitness attendant on duty at all times. There will be security updates to the child care center. “In light of recent national events, we felt there was a need for more security,” Mr. Zeger said. “Families in the child care center will get a punch code to let themselves in, and it will have only one access point in the main lobby. All of this will be monitored.”

Project Jumpstart’s upgrades will result in a small hike in fees, with dues for a family going from $95 to $99 a month starting in September. “But for those who have been here for awhile, they can keep this year’s monthly rate for another year,” Mr. Zeger said.

The YMCA’s CEO Kate Bech looks at Project Jumpstart as an opportunity for residents to rediscover the organization as “an inclusive gathering place for people of all walks of life to connect and get to know each other, while sharing in activities that encourage healthy living,” she wrote in an email. The renovated wellness center “will give families a place where moms and dads can model healthy behaviors to their children, and a setting in which health-seekers can find support from a caring staff,” she added. “As a cause-driven, charitable organization that provides financial assistance, we’re dedicated to strengthening the foundations of community, and Project Jumpstart will give Princeton a wonderful new resource for all at a very affordable cost.”