Y offers update on WECRD rec center plan

More than 70 people gathered at a town hall meeting last week for an update on an ongoing effort to build a community recreation center here.

Hosted by the Treasure Valley YMCA and Western Elmore County Recreation District, the meeting Sept. 9 outlined what work remains before construction can start on the 33,000 square foot facility. If built, the YMCA and recreation district would manage this recreation complex, located on South 18th East Street across from Mountain Home Junior High School.

The number of people at last week's town hall meeting showed that people in Mountain Home truly care about what happens in their community, said Heather Kimmel, vice president and chief fund development officer with the Treasure Valley YMCA.

During the meeting, officials with the YMCA and recreation district acknowledged that Mountain Home has seen a lot of starts and stops over the past decade to bring a community recreation center here. However, a revised timelime presented at the meeting is helping put the project back on track, according to Kimmel.

In coming weeks, a group of volunteers heading a new leadership and fundraising committee will launch an effort aimed at raising more than a half million dollars in local contributions. Money raised during this capital campaign will help cover the building's final construction costs.

For the project to meet the current deadlines outlined by the YMCA at last week's meeting, the effort needs to raise at least $600,000 over a 10-month period to build the $5.1 million recreation complex. Those dollars would tie into $4.5 million in grant funding and collected tax revenues set aside specifically for the building's construction.

With the capital campaign set to start in November, a separate group is currently narrowing a list of architects that will actually design the building. The YMCA's building and construction task force recently received 13 proposals from various architectural firms with the list narrowed down to four finalists.

Over the next two weeks, the all-volunteer group is expected to meet with representatives from each of these companies to develop a list of three recommended finalists. The recreation district's board of directors will then make the final decision at an upcoming public hearing.

Responding to questions at the town hall meeting, Treasure Valley YMCA Senior Vice President Scott Curtis emphasized that YMCAs do not go into a community to take over existing programs. Instead, they "fill in the gaps" on what a community lacks to promote youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

Questions at the town hall meeting also focused on whether the facility would have an indoor pool. The recreation district was originally formed with the intent of building a facility with an Olympic-sized pool here.

Curtis emphasized that it wasn't feasible to include an indoor pool with the current project. For now, the facility would be similar in nature to a YMCA facility in Meridian, which also lacks a pool. "The reality is that pools are very expensive" to build and operate, Curtis said.

Based on costs from similar facilities, he estimated that an Olympic-sized pool in Mountain Home would require $700,000 in subsidies each year just to keep it running. Ultimately, the community will have to decide whether to set aside money to eventually build an aquatics center after the proposed recreation complex opens, Curtis said.

Without the pool, the recreation district would need to provide $250,000 each year in subsidies to keep the recreation center operating. That's based on an initial projection of 700 yearly memberships in the Mountain Home area, said WECRD board vice president Jana Borgholthaus.

However, that membership figure is based on low, conservative estimates. She expects that the number of families and individuals in the local area buying yearly passes would actually exceed that figure.

When asked, Curtis estimated that a pass for families using the facility planned for Mountain Home would run between $25 to $45 per month. In comparison, the average cost for a family membership in Meridian and Caldwell is about $73 per family since YMCAs in both communities have indoor pools.

However, Curtis emphasized that the YMCA will never turn anyone away from using their facility, regardless of their financial status.

Looking ahead, Curtis sees a need to have a place in Mountain Home where children, teens, adults and senior citizens can all meet.

"It's a great benefit to have a community gathering place," he said.

However, a YMCA facility is not just about sports or exercise, Curtis added. They provide programs geared specifically for the communities they serve.

A facility like this "can transform a community," Borgholthaus said.

According to Curtis, similar facilities across the Treasure Valley have made a significant difference. He estimated that one out of every two kids in that part of the state were involved in a YMCA program.

Having this outlet has led to a significant difference in communities like Caldwell, whose crime rate has fallen to its lowest levels since 1984. In fact, the city's crime rate is now lower than the rate in Boise, Curtis said.

"This (facility) is going to transform lives. This is why I am here," said WECRD president Mollie Marsh.

Pending the outcome of the capital campaign, the YMCA expects the project will reach its next milestone in late 2014. If the fundraising effort meets its goal by then, a decision would be made on when construction can actually start on the facility.