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By FRANK SHANLY
Over the past year the YMCA has gradually been building a presence in Wells County, as it prepares for an even busier period over the coming twelve months.
The organization has plans to establish a new facility in the county, and is currently making sure that all its ducks are in a row before embarking on a fundraising campaign to meet the costs of the project.
While the physical building will include many of the features that you will find in other sporting complexes, Director Lance Hershberger is quick to point out that the YMCA will be offering something “extra”.
“That’s where you get into what the YMCA stands for and it’s mission.” explained Hershberger. “If it’s nothing more than a fitness facility then I wouldn’t get into the campaign myself.
“But if its mandated to live up to the Christian principles and ideals that we want it to be then it’s a wonderful thing for the county and the campaign should take care of itself. It’s got to be more than bricks and mortar. More than just a place to go to work out.
“We’ve got pools in the county, we’ve got gyms in the county. What this is, is a family-oriented Christian center, to promote healthy mind, body and spirit in a family oriented environment. That’s priceless!”
Currently Hershberger is busy with the “site development” phase of the project. Working with his board, and architects, he has a site in mind however there are still some details that need to be ironed out before the decision can be made public.
“Behind the scenes,” related Hershberger, “we’re getting things ready and moving towards our fundraising campaign which will probably begin some time this fall.
“We’re starting to work on the specifics of the facility. What’s exactly going to be in the building. We’ve had several groups with suggestions for different types of pool for example.
“It’s important that you take your time and look at all the different options and you try to get input from all the different groups so you can make an educated decision at what best fits the needs of the people of Wells County.”
Hershberger and his team have been conducting surveys and holding meetings explaining their goal throughout the past year. At all the meetings, surveys were given out in an attempt to determine the needs of the community, and the survey is also on-line on the YMCA’s website.
While every effort has been made to make sure that all interested parties have had a chance to provide their input, Hershberger is still keen to hear from anyone who has been missed out. He is fast approaching the time when the “planning phase” draws to an end and the “action phase” begins however, so he will need to hear from you soon.
“We’ve asked for input in surveys,” recalled Hershberger, “but if we’ve missed anybody, and if you’ve got strong views of what we should have in the building, let us know. Its kind of ‘speak now or forever hold your peace’.”
Some new ideas have already been considered. For example, it was pointed out that Wells County has no indoor tennis facility, so YMCA’s architects have been asked to consider whether the floor of the proposed new building can be a multi-purpose floor, used for basketball and tennis. Perhaps, as an alternative, a tennis net can be set up the same way a volleyball or badminton net is set up.
“Obviously, we can’t have everything,” lamented Hershberger, “but whatever space we have we want it to be useful. Shangri-La only exists in the movies. All you can do is try to make educated decisions based on doing your homework and getting input.”
Hershberger finds himself in a little bit of a “chicken-and-egg” situation at the moment.
“How big the building is going to be is going to depend some on how much money you are going to raise.” noted Hershberger. “How much money you have to raise is going to depend some on how big a building you are going to have.
“But there is a balancing act there. Our architects are looking into the specifics of the facility and that’s probably going to take six to eight weeks from now, so that’s probably going to take us through to middle of August. What type of offices are we going to have? What is the pool going to be like?”
Hershberger and his board are setting up some road trips to check out other similar facilities as they make their plans. The board itself includes a number of people who have been involved both in establishing previous YMCAs, and also local fundraising within Wells County.
Hershberger is well aware that the current financial climate is probably not ideal for launching a fundraising campaign. He notes though, that just as you can never achieve the ideal facility (or Shangri-La), there probably is never an ideal time to start raising money.
“With the big ‘R’ word, ‘recession’ and $4-a-gallon gas,” he notes, “its probably not the ideal time for that but its like the site. There’s probably never a perfect time to start a campaign. If you have the value in what it stands for is there, the campaign should move forward and be good.
“That’s where you get into what the YMCA stands for and it’s mission. And if we can achieve that (the mission), and if we can convey that message, then the campaign should be easy. And if we can’t it probably won’t be successful.”
Until the campaign is ready to start, Hershberger and his staff are busy establishing some of the programs that they want to have available.
“Again,” explained Hershberger, “its a balancing act between getting the building first or having the programs to put in it. You can’t have a ‘build it and they will come’ approach in this day and age. You have to have the plans in place, and know how you are going to use it. You have to be able to pay your bills.”
A key project for the YMCA over the coming year will be the new services that it will be bringing at Bluffton-Harrison Elementary School, starting in the fall.
Staff member Nedra Steury explained:
“The Wells County YMCA will be ‘absorbing’ the Latchkey program at Bluffton-Harrison Elementary School. There were bids put out for the program and the Y’s proposal was accepted, and so we will be absorbing that program in the fall.
“We will be offering ‘breakfast club’ which is before school, from 6:30-8:30 a.m., and that is open for grades K through 4. Then we will be offering ‘kinder care’, so parents can send their kindergarten student to morning session, and then they attend kindergarten in the afternoon, or they can attend kindergarten in the morning and attend our child care in the afternoon.”
The new service offered by the YMCA will also provide child care over the winter and spring breaks. Also, on days when school is cancelled due to the weather, the new service will hold a full-day day-care service for children.
“So we’re upping the services.” enthused Steury.
Hershberger and his team are working hard to ensure that the YMCA’s entry into Wells County is a successful one. The year ahead will provide many challenges as they attempt to bring the nearest thing they can to Shangri-La to Wells County.
frank@news-banner.com