By KEN de la BASTIDE
Tribune enterprise editor
May 10, 2008 11:55 pm
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The YMCA board is waiting to see if a proposal for construction of a new facility in the downtown area will become reality, but other issues remain unresolved.
Last year, the board unanimously passed a resolution to allow a consortium of community leaders the opportunity to develop a cost neutral plan to keep the facility in the downtown area.
The consortium hopes to obtain enough property to allow the YMCA to construct a new facility in the downtown area as a means to revitalize the core of the city.
Jeff Cardwell, a YMCA board member and past board president, said the resolution was to allow Paul Wyman and the consortium to provide the YMCA with a site that would be cost neutral.
“We have been actively involved,” he said of the board. “The consortium has made great strides, they have made more progress than anyone else.”
Cardwell said Commissioner Brad Bagwell has been involved in the effort from the beginning stages of the project.
“I was surprised it didn’t get a more favorable consideration by the commissioners,” he said of the board’s decision to not provide $300,000 in Economic Development Income Tax funds.
Cardwell said if the commissioners want the YMCA board to request the EDIT money, he would be happy to do that and to answer any questions regarding the proposal to get further consideration by the county.
Allan James, current YMCA board president, said the YMCA hasn’t given up on keeping the facility downtown.
“I’m not disappointed by the county’s actions,” James said. “There is a group of people, including Mayor [Greg] Goodnight, that is working to keep the YMCA downtown.”
Another issue for the YMCA board is whether the group can raise $10 million to construct a new facility.
“We’re making preparations to assess our ability to raise money,” James said. “We are working with the national organization to determine that.”
James said the notion of the YMCA moving from the downtown was a “red flag” for many people in the community.
“This is not a done deal,” he said. “What if we can’t raise the money?”
The YMCA’s first commitment is to allow the consortium to put a proposal together, Cardwell said.
Two other possible locations for construction of a new YMCA is 10 acres the group owns on Berkley Road and a proposal by Commissioner Dave Trine to locate a new facility on the former Continental Steel site.
“The Continental site is a possibility,” Cardwell said. “There are concerns about contamination, and it would be difficult to dig for an in-ground pool.”
Cardwell said the advantage of remaining downtown is the long history of the YMCA’s presence and the central location.
“Our first mission is what is best for the YMCA,” he said. “From a community standpoint, it is the opportunity to have 400,000 visits annually, which would be tremendously important to revitalization of the downtown. This could be a springboard to other investments.”
James said the board wants to create a facility that meets the needs of its membership.
“It is an overall quality-of-life issue,” he said. “We can do a lot for kids.”
Cardwell said there are few negatives in keeping the YMCA downtown. He said it would cost more to build a facility downtown because it would probably have to be a two-story building as compared to a one-story facility at a different location.
Ken de la Bastide can be reached at (765) 454-8580 or via e-mail at ken.delabastide@kokomotribune.com
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