PORT TOWNSEND — As City Hall awaits the results of the Feb. 10 election on a bond issue to support renovating and repairing Mountain View Commons, tenants are juggling the available space to increase its efficiency in the meantime.
The Jefferson County YMCA today will move its administrative offices from a classroom inside the former elementary school to a manufactured classroom building in the courtyard.
It’s a move that more than triples available space from 665 square feet to 2,400 square feet.
“This will give us the room we need so we aren’t piled on top of each other when we have a meeting,” said YMCA Executive Director Erica Delma.
“It will put us in a more central location where we can better serve the community and make our programs more accessible.”
The move continues a domino effect that began with the move of the library’s temporary quarters back to its Carnegie location over the summer.
That freed up the former cafeteria space used as a child care facility before the library moved in.
The child care program, which was located in a temporary classroom during the library’s stay, has moved back into the 5,477-square-foot cafeteria.
A little more than half of the temporary space will be used for YMCA administration, with a partitioned space for the woodworking program that was previously offered in different locations, along with a new ceramics program.
The classroom the YMCA currently occupies will be reconfigured as an office for city Parks and Recreation Director Alex Wisniewski.
The city is asking voters to approve a maximum $3.6 million bond issue for the repair and renovation of the Mountain View complex at 1925 Blaine St.
Ballots in the all-mail election were distributed last week, and voters in the city have until Feb. 10 to return them.
Tenants at the former elementary school include the Port Townsend Police Department, the Port Townsend Food Bank, Jefferson County YMCA, the ReCyclery, the KPTZ 91.9 FM radio station, Working Image, the Olympic Peninsula chapter of the Red Cross and the only public pool in Jefferson County.
The bond would fund installation of a new heating system, roof repairs, city pool maintenance and the fixing of other structural issues.
If the Mountain View bond is approved, property owners would pay for only part of the cost of repairs, city officials have said.
The measure would mean a property tax increase of no more than 13 cents per $1,000 of assessed property valuation for 15 years.
If approved, the full increase would first appear on 2017 tax statements, although property owners would most likely see a 5-cents-per-$1,000-valuation increase in 2016.
The YMCA also is in the process of preparing for the possible construction of a new facility, with a community survey determining Mountain View as the best location.
YMCA officials along with other Mountain View tenants were scheduled to meet with the potential project’s design team Thursday afternoon.
After the design is completed, the YMCA will enter a fundraising phase with a target amount between $11 million and $13 million, Delma said.
The new structure could open in three to five years, she said.
Construction of the new YMCA is unrelated to the Mountain View bond as the agency plans to raise all the funds needed for construction, but the passage or rejection of the bond will gauge community interest in the new facility, supporters of the bond have said.
For more information on the Y’s plans, phone 360-385-5811 or go to www.jeffersoncountyymca.org.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
