If all goes well, an arcade-style room full of fun, interactive exercise equipment intended for older children will open later this year at the Baierl Family YMCA in Franklin Park.

Bill Kunert, district vice president for the Greater Pittsburgh YMCA, said the first floor of a two-story 8,114-square-foot addition being planned at the rear of the existing building will be used for the "Xrcade" room.

A new group exercise room will be located on the second floor, he added.

Plans for the expansion began last fall after YMCA members indicated older children needed a place to go other than the Child-Watch area, which offers free, on-site child care services for members' children 6 months through 11 years for up to 90 minutes a day, Mr. Kunert said.

Some of the older children, starting at about age 8, didn't like the idea of being lumped in with the infants and toddlers, he added.

That created a problem, however, because the Y's rules mandate anyone under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

After visiting other facilities, Y officials decided to build a place where the older children could go and get some exercise without feeling like they're really exercising, Mr. Kunert said.

The room will include interactive exercise bikes that tilt with the road as riders pedal over landscapes they see on video screens. It also will include Dance Dance Revolution stations, Mr. Kunert said.

In the popular dance game, also known as DDR, users stand on a metal platform, laid out like a tic-tac-toe board, and watch a video screen that shows them which illuminated squares to step on -- all of this being done to the beat of dance music.

The new group exercise room is necessary because there were too many groups of people who wanted to use the Y's gymnasium at the same time, Mr. Kunert said.

"We're growing faster than we expected," Mr. Kunert said. "We've reached the point where at certain peak times, we're crowded."

The Y's expansion plans come a mere two years after the $8.5 million state-of-the-art facility first opened. The addition is expected to cost $1 million.

The 53,000-square-foot facility is located on 12.8 acres formerly known as Winterhaven Park.

It replaced the 50-year-old former North Hills YMCA building on Pine Creek Road in McCandless.

The Y leases the land on which the YMCA is located from Franklin Park for $1 a year. In return, Franklin Park residents pay lower membership fees.

The YMCA has applied to Franklin Park for all the necessary permits and land use approvals, Mr. Kunert said.

If council gives the Y the OK on all fronts -- a vote is scheduled for July 16 -- construction could begin in the fall and the new addition could be ready for use next winter, he added.

"We're excited," Mr. Kunert said. "We can't wait."