PORT TOWNSEND — The plans to build a new Jefferson County YMCA facility adjacent to the Mountain View Commons is taking shape after two meetings on the project between a designer and local stakeholders.
“We are learning about the project, learning about the community, and we are deciding how they want to do this,” said Brian Rigby, director of design for Washington, D.C.-based Gro Development, a firm that specializes in YMCA design.
Rigby held meetings with Mountain View partners Thursday and at Jefferson Healthcare on Friday.
The two meetings were held to present possible aspects of the project while listening to comments about what the new building should contain.
“This was the initial meeting with the stakeholders, but we will need to open this up,” said Olympic Peninsula YMCA CEO Kyle Cronk, who is headquartered in Port Angeles.
Rigby is expected to return as early as March to hold a series of public meetings during which specific aspects of the new facility could be discussed.
The construction of a full-service membership driven Jefferson County YMCA building has been discussed for several years but gained traction in 2014 after a community survey demonstrated interest in such a facility, as well as indicating a preference for its location at the Mountain View campus.
While every aspect of the project is now speculative, there are some basic parameters.
It will be located at the Mountain View Campus, now a center of local nonprofit activity, and will integrate the existing structure with a new building that could include aquatics, instructional space and exercise equipment.
The project most likely will cost between $11 million and $13 million, according to Jefferson County YMCA Executive Director Erica Delma.
Rigby said ground could be broken in 2017 at the earliest, with construction taking about 14 to 16 months.
After the March meetings, Rigby will create a design within the projected budget using community input.
At the same time, the YMCA will begin a capital campaign to raise the targeted amount, which will be a figure commensurate with what the community can afford, Cronk said.
“We need to have enough data before we can make a feasibility study,” Rigby said.
“Once we have the concept, we can raise the funds.”
At this point in the process, thorough planning is important, Rigby said.
“Developing specific schematics in the early stages is extremely valuable,” he said.
“Making changes is cheap right now. It gets harder to change anything once construction is started.”
Rigby said that in the past, YMCAs have avoided all debt, but this is no longer the case, although the organization needs to be sure that any incurred debt can be covered.
“The worst thing you can do is to start construction and not have enough money to finish,” he said.
Once the initial plans are finalized and the fundraising process is underway, the organization will recruit a local architect and a local contractor to build the facility, Rigby said.
Rigby said that YMCA construction works best with committed community partners, a role that Jefferson Healthcare is filling on this project.
The possible partnership could include hospital facilities such as therapy rooms inside the YMCA.
The cornerstone of any Jefferson Healthcare-YMCA partnership is aquatics, according to hospital CEO Mike Glenn, who attended the Friday meeting.
The YMCA facility could include a satellite rehabilitation clinic, and a therapy pool would be an invaluable tool in treating rehabilitation patients.
Along with the hospital’s partnership and a strong aquatic orientation in Port Townsend, the pool configuration has become one of the facility’s most important aspects.
Rigby said the optimum aquatic setup includes three pools, one each for competition, family recreation and therapy.
The therapy pool needs to be separate as it has different temperature and privacy requirements than the other two, he said.
Also undetermined is how the current pool will fit into the new design.
If it is to be incorporated as one of the three proposed pools, it would restrict the facility’s design.
Cronk said the YMCA is in “a pre-fundraising phase” with the next step a fundraising feasibility study.
While the total costs are yet to be determined, Cronk said the $11 million to $13 million estimate includes all preparation and consultant fees incurred by the project.
While the high visibility partnership between the YMCA and Jefferson Healthcare will shape the project, there is a need for several smaller partnerships, Rigby said.
Port Townsend Athletic Club owner Teresa Hoffmann attended the Friday meeting, suggesting the possibility of turning her facility into a satellite operation.
“I have an existing business and a membership which I can bring to help them get things started,” she said, adding that the partnership could range from use as an annex to the YMCA buying her business.
“This is a community that has fought to keep big brands out and YMCA is as big a brand as Coca-Cola,” she said.
“But a collaboration, a partnership with a bigger organization can allow us access to funding and resources that we can’t get on our own.”
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
