The future of the collaboration between the YMCA and the Owensboro Senior Community Center will be revisited this week when the feasibility study is completed.
President/CEO John Alexander said that the study began in May to determine if a merger is feasible or supported by the community, along with what the City and county provide in donations.
The Daviess County Fiscal Court has already budgeted $2 million for the merger in its current 23-24 budget. Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen said they plan to give it to the two when they are able to provide plans for the future.
City Manager Nate Pagan said the City has $3 million in ARPA funds reserved for the development, with $2.5 million for renovation and $500,000 for road work and city efforts needed on the ground.
Alexander stated that the county and the City have both verbally committed to still providing funding for the project.
He noted that the renovations of the YMCA are largely needed, and he hopes to be able to complete them. Yet, the upgrades are looked at predominately under the scope of this partnership with the Senior Center, so he cannot guarantee that the renovations will occur if the study comes back negative.
“There is a need for renovation at our Y, I can tell you that, but we’ll proceed with the collaboration,” Alexander said. “The key to this is we have concentrated on the collaboration from the YMCA standpoint. So, we haven’t planned for any other alternatives at this point simply because we feel we need to concentrate on this opportunity.”
From there, he said they would reassess the process.
According to Alexander, the proposed plans have multiple options — and a corresponding range of cost — depending on how much the two organizations can fundraise for their respective share of the facility.
As previously reported, the lowest option — which can meet the needs of both parties — costs an estimated $9.5 million. A middle-ground price would reach $11 million, while the highest would run about $12.5 million. The highest option would offer more space and a larger locker room for the YMCA.
The project will unite the two organizations by renovating the YMCA’s location on Princeton Parkway and adding 11,000 square feet dedicated to the Senior Center. The renovation will add 2,400 square feet of shared space with the Y. The proposed plans call for a 13,150-square-foot expansion onto the existing YMCA facility on Kentucky Parkway. The renovation will include a kitchen, a courtroom, a large auditorium, and game rooms, among other spaces.
Becky Barnhart, Executive Director of the Senior Community Center, was not able to comment by the time of publication.
