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IRON MOUNTAIN -- It began as a grass roots campaign to bring a YMCA to Dickinson County.

"It started off slow," said Dickinson County YMCA Marketing Director Jennifer Nettell.  "We did feasibility studies, we looked into what the needs were in the community, and when the community center came open to us, we went from zero to 60 pretty quick."

The Dickinson County YMCA is also proving to be popular in the community.  The organization received nearly four times as many members as it initially projected in January.

The YMCA is operating in the Crystal Lake Community Center which was leased to the organization by Dickinson County.  The move is expected to save the county more than $100,000 per year starting in 2012.

"I think it's wonderful for the community because that building was under-utilized, to say the least, and now it’s much busier," said Dickinson County Board of Commissioner Frank Smith.  "There are more activities and the tenants are happy."

But Nettell said this is just the tip of the iceberg for the YMCA.  Additional programs are already being added, and the YMCA plans on restarting the annual triathlon on Lake Antoine in Iron Mountain.

"Everybody here has worked really, really hard," she said.  "We have put a lot of thought and research into it, and when we brought it forward, you never know what's going to happen.  The response by the community has really been overwhelming."

Nettell said the YMCA will continue adding more programs as well in the coming months.