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YMCA Update

Discussion in 'Broadlands Community Issues' started by joy, Jul 1, 2005.

  1. joy

    joy New Member

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    The Board of Supervisors is going to be voting on Tuesday 7/5 on what action to take next on the proposed Public/private partnership with the YMCA to build a rec center in the Broadlands instead of a County Community Center. The current issue is that the Y doesn't want to do a study that shows whether they can raise the money necessary until they have county approval, and the county is leary of approving something that the Y may not be able to pay for (and further delaying anything going there). If you have an opinion on whether you want a potential YMCA or a potential County-run center, you should let your BOS know. It's looking pretty bleak at this point for either to me, unfortunately...

    For more information, check out the BOS agenda item on it at:
    http://inetdocs.loudoun.gov/bos/doc...agenda_/item02ymcapriva/office2k/office2k.htm

    --Joy
     
  2. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    The latest, from Steve Snow:

    1) YMCA Recreation Center Private/Public Partnership
    The Board voted unanimously to move forward with an interim
    agreement with the YMCA so they can begin their feasibility study. The Board also directed staff to bring back to the Board on July 19th the proper land use amendments that are necessary in order to allow the YMCA uses on the property. The Board also requested the YMCA to bring back to the Board their timetable for a feasibility study. I am very supportive of the project, I believe a YMCA facility is needed in this County and I am happy to have one in the Dulles District. I believe the Broadlands location is very appropriate for the YMCA and I will be doing all I can to move this project forward. While there are several issues that need to be worked out and finalized between the YMCA and the County, I am
    confident that they can be resolved for everyone's benefit.
     
  3. dcdavis

    dcdavis Ooops!!

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    Today the YMCA officially withdrew its proposal to enter a Public/Private Partnership with the County. I believe the reasons they gave were: 1)incompatibility of the lot size and uses allowed; and 2) cost would be more than they had anticipated.

    I'm not sure where this goes from now, except the County owns property and probably doesn't have money to do anything with it...
     
  4. neilz

    neilz New Member

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    I wouldn't be surprised if the lack of support on the BoS to turn over the property to the YMCA after 40 (??) years is part of it too. An additional factor may also have been lack of corporate support from businesses in the county.

    It used to be that AOL and MCI would shell out without a thought, now its much different with the AOL pursestrings being held by TimeWarner, and MCI in the midst of a merger with Verizon ..

    Neil Z.
    Resident since 1999
     
  5. flynnibus

    flynnibus Well-Known Member Forum Staff

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    I never saw the draw for YMCA myself. How would it be different from another gym/fitness center? The one in Herdon is just as if not more expensive then a traditional gym.

    -Steve
     
  6. Barbara

    Barbara New Member

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    NeilZ may have it in a nutshell. I was wondering if HCA had pledged anything, because as the hospital process moves forward they may be shifting money to legal. The Y project appeared in reaction to the moveup/then moveback of the Broadlands rec center in the CIP around the same time as HCA appeared with Terrabrook. That was quite a bombshell yesterday--seems pretty late to say you never looked at the site/road plans. Unbelieveable.

    Barbara Munsey, from South Riding.
     
  7. pamD

    pamD New Member

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    I'm sure there are others that could reply, but I wanted to point out that the Y is more than just a gym. At least when I was a kid, the Y near me was family oriented, with swimming lessons, summer camps, and other kid/teen activities. Also, it would have an indoor pool, which not all gyms around here have.

    BTW - where is the site in question? On Broadlands Blvd?


    Pam D.
     
  8. afgm

    afgm Ashburn Farm Resident

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    This just in from Steve Snow's email update:

    "5) Contract Award / A&E Design for Dulles South Multi-Purpose Center
    The Board unanimously approved the contact to award the Architecture and Engineering of the design for the Dulles South Multi-Purpose Center to the firm of Wisnewski Blair and Associations. The design work will commence soon and we will be hosting community meetings to discuss the design in the future. The estimated opening of the center is Spring 2007."

    Interesting comparison of this multi-purpose center and the YMCA opportunity. I wonder what really happened with the YMCA prop, I thought it was a win-win.
     
  9. afgm

    afgm Ashburn Farm Resident

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    YMCA pools are also "heated" :)

    :)
     
  10. joy

    joy New Member

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    This was also in the Steve Snow update listing:
    "2) Intent to Amend ZMAP 1995-0003 / ZCPA 1994-0005 Broadlands and Broadlands South
    This item was intended to begin the land use changes in order to allow the YMCA to use the property. This item was withdrawn when Vice-Chairman's Tulloch's Office was informed by the YMCA on Monday that they were withdrawing their application in its entirety. According to Mr. Tulloch, the YMCA was withdrawing because the did not want to be located on a potential 6 lane road (Rt. 659) and the cost of blasting rock to install a pool was too high. In my opinion, the YMCA would have been a huge benefit to the County and would have provided additional recreational opportunities and services without cost to the taxpayer."

    So, the timeline is this: the county had dragged its feet a long time on this, then Tulloch requested an update from staff, then the BOS decide to give the YMCA what they were saying was holding things up, and then the YMCA withdrawals because Belmont Ridge is going to be a big road. This smells of someone on the BOS not playing politics correctly (likely Steve Snow, since it's in his district). It will be interesting to see the news coverage on this.

    --Joy
     
  11. dcdavis

    dcdavis Ooops!!

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    That's right- I forgot the part about the Y not realizing they were located on a future 6 lane major highway. Hmmmm, that's a hard one to miss...
     
  12. Skins fan

    Skins fan Tequila fan (100% agave)

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    Dulles South Multipurpose is a $23 million dollar (initially)
    facility which is being paid for by a bond (your tax dollars)
    and will be located in South Riding (Snow's home). It was
    approved by voters last fall.

    There is no similar facility here in the northern part of the
    district that I am aware of. YMCA would have been funded by
    private donations and user fees rather than taxes. Hard to
    believe that they did not know that 659 was being widened or
    that the entire area is full of rock.

    I look forward to hearing more about the real reasons for YMCA
    pull out. Very disappointing.

    Skins fan

     
  13. joy

    joy New Member

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    Ok. Sounds like some new folks on here may want to get caught up with the history on this. Here is an old thread from when the YMCA proposal first came up:
    http://hoa.broadlands.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=813

    A quick recap: We had a Broadlands County-funded Rec Center in the county plan. We were supposed to have a bond referendum last November to fund it, BUT because of the YMCA proposal, that was tabled. Instead, the Dulles South Rec Center was put into a bond referendum and moved up in the timetable to be built 2006 instead of 2008.

    We need the BOS to get moving on the County Rec Center NOW after wasting a year on the YMCA proposal. But the County Rec Center in South Riding (where Mr. Snow lives) is moving right along.

    --Joy
     
  14. Barbara

    Barbara New Member

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    Joy et al: You may wish to go back much farther. The Broadlands rec center was attempted for acceleration by either two or three years in the proposed CIP of 2002. During the budget process that year, it was moved back to its previous schedule. I don't know when it originally appeared in the CIP before that date from which it was attempted to be accelerated. I believe 2002 was when the Y first made an appearance as a possibility there.

    Last year, the county staff did the same thing with the Dulles South rec center, and proposed accelerating it by three years. A little group here in South Riding (encouraged by some then-county staff) felt just fine with 72K sq ft jumping the line, and still puts out vicious material about Steve Snow as "opposing what we deserve". According to this handful of folks, they and they alone are responsible for the pittance of replacing the existing space at Arcola Community Center (which serves everybody), and if Snow really represented SR we'd have that indoor swimming pool we "need" yesterday.

    My favorite thing in their creative diatribes is that they are persoanlly responsible for getting the item on the bond, and then getting the bond passed. I doubt five supervisors know most of their names, let alone vote the way they tell them to.

    I guess my point is, if you want to view it as Snow giving to SR and snubbing you, I guess you can go right ahead. But there is a lot more to it than that. To listen to the little bunch down here, the largesse we're getting isn't nearly enough.

    I think a major question is why did the Y wait until now to review the site and look at the road plans? Who were their backers, and did they back out? I also do recommend reviewing the back annual CIPs, both recommended and adopted, to see the complete history of the Broadlands center.

    Barbara Munsey, from South Riding.
     
  15. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    Wendall Fisher, who is a Board member of the Loudoun YMCA, has asked to address the Broadlands HOA at our August 9 meeting, at 6pm. All who are interested are welcome to attend.
    I also heard today that the decision to cancel the project was made by the Metro YMCa directly to the Board of Supervisors. Even the Loudoun Y Board was not informed.
    It is true that the Broadlands county recreation facility was on the schedule a few years ahead of the one in South Riding. Since it appeared that the Y was going to become a reality, the proposal for the South Riding facility was accelerated, voted on and approved. Steve Snow did nothing wrong. Since it appeared this area's needs would be met by the Y, the BoS moved on to the next facility in line.
     
  16. joy

    joy New Member

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    Thanks, Cliff, for the update. I'll be interested to hear the YMCA board member. I don't think we know enough to say that Steve Snow did nothing wrong. I, for one, would have preferred that the County Center planning had proceeded while the BOS was working with the YMCA, instead of counting their chickens before they hatched. Thanks, Barbara, for the extra history on the center.

    Here's the first "press" take on the situation, albeit not very detailed: (from the Loudoun Connection http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=53388&paper=67&cat=104)

    "No YMCA for Broadlands
    After some testy exchanges with the Board of Supervisors in the last month, the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington has withdrawn its proposal to build a facility in Broadlands. The county had requested that the YMCA conduct a feasibility study prior to forging a formal partnership under the Public/Private Education Act. The YMCA requested a formal partnership before investing in a feasibility study. Neither would budge, and so the Broadlands YMCA, which would have been located on Truro Parish Drive with a small frontage on Belmont Ridge Road, is no longer in the cards."

    --Joy
     
  17. afgm

    afgm Ashburn Farm Resident

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    Good points Cliff.

    My concern is the County didn't embrace the opportunity. I am afraid other things distracted them away from the YMCA offer. I hope the County recognized the value of the proposal and did everything they could to push it forward.

    Unfortunately, it appears this thing withered on the vine. It wasn't just YMCA responsibility to work out the details of the financials, and the details of the location. Both parties are responsible for surprises like the road/site plan issues stated as a problem. In fact, one could say, why was the County "surprised" by the YMCA withdrawl. If they had been working with them and being vigilant it shouldn't have been a surprise.

    Bottom line is somebody dropped the ball, and I am afraid other priorities shifted the focus away from our YMCA. Now we don't even have the originally planned County Rec Center.

    Rather than dumping all the blame on YMCA, I will be listening for proactive action on getting a Rec center back on track. Whether that be YMCA, another private/public partnership, or a County funded facility.
     
  18. afgm

    afgm Ashburn Farm Resident

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    Blurb on the issue posted on WAGE 1200 website:

    "Y Not

    We hear the door slam on a partnership proposal between our local government & an area nonprofit group- on a recreational facility in Ashburn. The County Board heard a reversal on the plans formerly held by the local YMCA for a possible center in Broadlands.

    The project dated back over two years- initiated by the previous Loudoun Supervisors.

    We heard recent indications of fundraising challenges for the Y- as well as confusion on various roles in the former partnership proposal with the County.

    We await future plans.

    The YMCA hesitated on a feasibility study for the agreement at the Board’s earlier meeting this month- pending a resolution on land use issues at the site along Belmont Ridge Road- as well as access from the highway.

    The County obtained the land by development proffer.

    Supervisor Vice Chairman Bruce Tulloch shared this week’s news. He announced a decision on the part of the YMCA to put a halt to this item in every regard.

    The Vice Chairman reported their reasoning based on the physical limitations at the site. Bruce Tulloch described a failure- on the part of the Organization- to perform enough research on the project- in missing the point on a six-lane major artery on the back side of the property. He shared the Association’s conclusion that the development would exceed their financial capabilities.

    The Vice Chairman announced a withdrawal on the PPTA filing with the County. Bruce Tulloch listed this as a final decision on the matter.

    These developments followed a proposal for agreement on a land lease to the YMCA for a 50-year period- with the Y formerly slated to take ownership on the property & improvements after that time.

    We heard letters of support for the YMCA project- provided by the organization- from the Ashburn Farms & Broadlands Associations- in addition to the Superintendent of Schools.

    The YMCA had sought a facility in Broadlands in lieu of a County-operated & built- recreation center. The Organization had approached the County a few years back- on putting in a rec center at Broadlands."
     
  19. gator

    gator New Member

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    So it has been 7 months, the Y is a dead solution. Anyone know what is going to happen to that site. Will we get some sort of community Rec center. Do we need to start sending letters & Emails to the Bos reminding them of the situation?
     
  20. neilz

    neilz New Member

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    There is a move to use that site by the county, not sure where it is, but I understand that one of the supervisors, I believe its Snow, but it could be Waters, wanting to move up the proposed county rec center to a year other than 2011 !!
     

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