Thursday, June 20, 2013

Published: March 12, 2009

Construction of the 38,000-square-foot central part of the Vineyard YMCA, including the long-planned aquatic center, will begin in April. The construction schedule calls for the building to be complete and open 10 to 12 months from now, or in the spring of 2010, Chuck Hughes, president of the Y board, announced this week.

Mr. Hughes said that, on Friday evening, the 21-member Y board made a "courageous" decision, and a unanimous one, to begin construction, even though the economy is under stress and there is more than $2 million yet to be raised. Mr. Hughes said his board is "optimistic that we will be able to raise this money, and they know that Martha's Vineyard needs this facility."

"It is a long awaited and courageous decision to make, but the entire board and staff felt the time is now to get this facility built," Mr. Hughes said. "We have a few more hurdles to resolve, but are confident we will resolve any outstanding issues, in order to get the shovel in the ground very soon."

The total of pledged donations to the Y project to date is $11 million. Of the $7 million in donations that had been raised by the end of 2006, in the first part of the fundraising effort, $2 million was earmarked as an endowment for the Y's teen center, in memory of Alexandra Gagnon.

The construction, which will begin next month, will cost $9.2 million. Another $1.06 million will be required to furnish the facility, and $650,000 more to begin operations. The total is $10.9 million. About $1.7 million has been spent already, for architectural fees, site work, consultants, permits, fundraising, and administration.

The Y has on hand $5.1 million in cash. The board expects another $1.6 million from pledges due by August of this year, $500,000 more from a challenge pledge, and $1.5 million in a loan made to the Y by an Island bank. That's $8.7 million. As Mr. Hughes reminds Islanders and supporters of the Y, that leaves $2.2 million yet to be raised, and he appealed for continued generosity on the part of Island residents, seasonal Islanders, and others who have made the Y possible.

"What we have begun, with our vote Friday, is phase one," Mr. Hughes said. "With your help and your support, we will add on and build a gymnasium and other facilities needed here. But, we can only do that with your financial support and assistance."

Mr. Hughes invited supporters and others interested in the Y to visit the organization's website, www.ymcamv.org, where descriptions of the project may be found. Visitors can virtually tour the facility and review the programs to be conducted in all of the spaces. Mr. Hughes added that supporters may also make a donation at the website, an activity that he encouraged and that would be appreciated.

The Y plans a series of events this spring and summer to continue its fundraising efforts. Ms. Todd said that gatherings at the houses of supporters would be part of the effort. It's been a fundraising tool used by the Y, on Martha's Vineyard and off, since its inception to inform and encourage donors. Mr. Hughes said several events would be planned at the jobsite in mid-summer, so that supporters could see the progress being made. Mr. Hughes said he hoped that this palpable progress, with completion less than a year away would encourage supporters to help the fundraising effort.

"The dream of a YMCA began over a dozen years ago with the involvement of Islanders, both year-round and seasonal, dedicating hundreds of volunteer hours to help make this facility a reality," Y leaders said in a press statement. "Originally conceived as an aquatics center, the organization decided to pursue a YMCA charter, when it became clear that more program offerings were needed to sustain a community center of this size.

First phase construction of the Y will include the center portion of the building shown in the model above. The gymnasium, upper left above, the associated building in front of the gym, and the construction shown to the right of the aquatic center are not part of this first phase.

Although the Y is about to be built, the Y organization has been operating a collection of community programs for several years, including an after school program, a teen center a summer camp for young people in grades K-8, a self-esteem building program for boys and girls 11-14 years of age, and a senior aerobics program at the Woodside Village housing complex for older Islanders.

Consolidating programs

The programs are now conducted at scattered sites. Finding locations for these programs has been a challenge to the Y leadership. For instance, the summer camp is without a home, as summer approaches. Christine Todd, the Y's director of fundraising said this week that the board has exhausted possibilities of a camp location, and letters explaining the dilemma will be sent soon to parents who depend upon the modestly priced camp.

"We will have many disappointed parents," Ms. Todd said.

The outlined portion is part of phase one of the project.
Photo by Ralph Stewart

The construction of the new Y building will eliminate problems such as this, she said. Although only the first phase of the new building will be complete next spring, John Clese, the Y's executive director, explained this week that it will include a wellness center, the aquatic center, a teen center, a child watch area and a program of supervision for the children of parents using the Y, outdoor play and camp areas, a café, and community meeting rooms. Features of the complete project but not to be built in the first construction phase include a gymnasium, additional lockers, meeting rooms, and a climbing wall.

The new Y will be built on a five-acre site on the Vineyard Haven-Edgartown Road, leased for 75 years from the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School committee. It is east of Martha's Vineyard Community Services (MVCS), between MVCS and the Martha's Vineyard Ice Arena, and behind the skate park. The Y board signed the lease on its site in 2006. Under the terms of the agreement, the Y will lease the land from the high school in exchange for 356 hours of access per year to its competition-sized swimming pool in its new facility, as the equivalent of rent. A high school swimming team, and perhaps a Y team as well, are part of the plans.

Extensive research

The complete facility will be about 40,000 square feet. The Y leadership based its plan on projected usage on a market study conducted a few years ago by the Winfield Group in Atlanta, Ga. Amsler Mashek MacLean (AMM), a Boston-based architectural firm designed the Y. A 2006 estimate by the architects of total costs to develop, build, furnish, and endow a Y of that size added up to approximately $14 million, of which $11 million would be for construction and the rest for an endowment.

The Winfield Group estimated that about 1,585 persons, or 16.7 percent of the year-round population, will participate as members of the Y by its third year of operations in the new facility. The Y's current plans project a membership of 3,400 persons, not including members from the seasonal resident community.

The YMCA projects an annual budget of $2 million to staff, operate, and maintain the facility by year three. Mr. Clese, says YMCAs elsewhere expect to earn half of operating costs in membership fees. Mr. Clese will continue as director of the club when it is built and opened.