A few more community center questions—will the Young Men’s Christian Association rent the community center to provide its programs? Must the school then sub-rent spaces from the YMCA for its use?
How many tax dollars will leave the county in the form of YMCA corporate management dues, fees, costs? What power does corporate YMCA have over a local board? Will the positions for hire within the center provide a living wage?
Is there a fitness center exercise equipment budget? I know of excellent programs which promote flexibility, endurance, strength, bone density, cardiovascular health which do not require any exercise equipment. Check the famous Farmer Burns program, or mattfurey.com and yoga. The most fit 60+ year olds I know long ago sold their jungle of exercise equipment. Why suggest to our youth that equipment is needed to be physically fit? Why spend money on what it not needed?
Will the usual YMCA membership standards apply? Most YMCAs allow guest access for 14 days/year to those holding YMCA memberships elsewhere. Allowing 14 free days to tourists would about cover an average vacation. Can we afford this?
We have committed tutors/mentors for students. Why speak of the YMCA mentorship program as an elixir when the same people would likely be the mentors?
What is our litigation budget? Why spend money in an attempt to escape a contract commitment, when we could instead fix our well-loved park pool? I recently visited a vibrant community of 80,000 where school pools have been closed because of expense. Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking enough money will just be there.
Again, what is our litigation budget? No matter how well intended, question legality when a public center funded primarily by taxpayer money contracts with a religious organization for management and takes the name of a religion. Cook County Family Young Men’s Christian Association? What happened to the Cook County Community Center which included us all without soliciting membership to a religious organization? Put any other religion in the name and see how it feels.
Geri Jensen
Grand Marais
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