1/14/2008 Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Minutes of a Meeting of the North Olmsted Parks and Recreation Commission January 14, 2008 agreement with us, since they have reached a saturation point, but they will have their CFO in the room with us as well. After that, there will be a proposal coming out of the administration to partner up with the YMCA here in Northeastern Ohio, where we would be looking to build the facility and the YMCA would be the ones that would run it for us. They know recreation a little bit better than we do – physical fitness, etc., so that would be the proposal that would come forward, where we would be looking to include at this time five indoor tennis courts, some sort of field house indoor pool facility, competitive pool as well, some sort of splash area, physical fitness/cardio, some sort of track: no ice at this at this point in time. This is the way it’s leaning coming out of the administration and going to Council at this time, sooner rather than later if they do want to get on the ballot by November of this year, which is the goal for which they are shooting. Mr. Scarl had a question: what type of employees would run it? The Y’s? or would the employees here stay here in place? Mr. Dailey said that would be negotiated between the two: his guess is that the Y would probably be looking to bring in their own people. He did not know if the YMCA would close down its facility on Columbia or not, because their facility is quite aged, and the market in Westlake is tough. Twenty one percent or twenty seven percent of their paid attendants at the West Shore YMCA are North Olmsted residents. Mr. Scarl had a hard time knocking all the people out of work here for the Y to bring in their own employees here. There are Union and other issues. To let the Y come in and run your own Rec Center in your own Center is not…Mr. Dailey said that it’s interesting that they just did a similar agreement in the City of Avon and the YMCA; the City will be building the facility, and the Y will be running that one. Mr. Dailey said the plan has a long way to go before any final decisions are made. Eventually, it will come down to the voters. If the residents want it, it will be their choice. There will be a lot of work to sell this type of plan. Outdoor Pool Filter Moving on to the status of the outdoor pool filter – we addressed that a little bit already. We have to decide on how we’re going to pay for this: whether it will be cap money from our own budget, which will make it real tough, and then it will be the only thing the Rec will be able to do with cap money this entire year, or if we can get General Fund money from the city. Mr. Dailey said his instincts tell him that General Fund money will be needed for this appropriation. It will come down to Council approving it. The Administration will present it; Council will say yes or no. Again, it’s a tough call. We have a Recreation Master Plan that’s moving forward; a proposed new facility. He did not know if the West Shore YMCA was even interested in an outdoor pool at this time. Outdoor pools are usually used two or three months, with limited use, high expense, and many up-front costs. Mr. Dailey said he couldn’t recall if it included an outdoor pool or not. That’s $37,000 for a pool filter Page 6