It will continue to be fun to stay at the YMCA.
Following a period of negotiations, the City of Longmont and the YMCA of Northern Colorado have reached a tentative agreement for the city to purchase the Longmont YMCA property. The move comes after the Longmont YMCA announced it was ending fitness and aquatic services earlier this year.
Another recreation center?
According to a city news release, this is a critical opportunity for needed expansion. Longmont intends to evaluate and develop the YMCA facility as a second recreation center. The city says…
Community surveys and recreation master planning have consistently identified the need for additional indoor recreation space.
The purchase will help satisfy the growing demand for indoor recreation, wellness, fitness, aquatics, and community programming.
Maintaining the YMCA facility’s current childcare services are vital.
Looking ahead:
The city anticipates the planning, design, evaluation and development of the 60,000-square-foot facility into a second recreation center will take at least a year to complete.
The deal isn’t final, yet. It still needs approval from Longmont City Council, who will consider the move at its regular meeting next Tuesday. Representatives from both the city and the YMCA of Northern Colorado are expected to provide information at the meeting and answer questions.
But there are challenges…
The purchase will cost the city $4.5 million, while renovation costs are estimated at $8 million over 10 years. But, the city says that figure is significantly less than the cost of purchasing land and building a new facility.
The building needs a wealth of improvements: HVAC upgrades, pool updates, ADA compliance corrections, parking lot improvements, roof repairs, and more.
YMCA will retain ownership of childcare services.
Zooming out:
YMCA facilities have been struggling to remain open regionwide following a struggle to adapt to behavioral changes after the COVID-19 pandemic. Last December, a downtown Denver YMCA closed to make way for affordable housing. Three months prior, the YMCA in Cheyenne, Wyoming shuttered as well following financial challenges.