PORT TOWNSEND — A proposed YMCA building will create new jobs and a big payroll to the Port Townsend area, a business audience was told Monday.
“There will be a lot of opportunities,” Erica Delma, program executive of the Jefferson County YMCA, told a group of about 40 people gathered for the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce weekly luncheon at the Elks Lodge.
“This will include membership services, play care and kid care as well as several leadership and management positions.”
Delma said there is no estimate as to the number of jobs, but projections showed an increase in annual payroll from the current $225,000 level to around $750,000.
This does not include any jobs created by Jefferson Healthcare, the city of Port Townsend, the Port Townsend School District or the Jefferson Aquatic Coalition, all of which are partnering with the YMCA on the new venture, she said.
The YMCA is two years into a seven-year process that will end with a new building constructed on the Mountain View Campus, 1925 Blaine St., Port Townsend.
A public survey and the facility’s preliminary design are completed, to be followed by a capital feasibility study through the end of 2015, a capital campaign that will begin in January and could take as long as two years.
Ground-breaking for construction is planned for early 2018.
The cost is estimated between $13 million and $15 million for a building between 47,000 and 52,000 square feet.
Once construction begins, the structure would probably take about 18 months to build, according to Olympic Peninsula YMCA CEO Kyle Kronk, which suggests a projected completion in 2020.
Jefferson County YMCA is a component of the Olympic Peninsula Y, which is based in Port Angeles.
Jefferson Aquatic Coalition President Earll Murman said the public survey indicated substantial interest in a new facility.
The survey reported that 81 percent of county residents did not visit a fitness facility of any kind and were responsible for their own physical health, while 54 percent of those surveyed said they would make use of the new YMCA.
While calculating membership costs at between $35 and $74 a year, the YMCA projected that it could collect $779,820 in annual membership fees, Murman said.
Delma said she was inspired by the partnership between Harrison Medical Center and the Silverdale YMCA, and that a similar partnership with Jefferson Healthcare will be key part of the new Y’s success.
“People can come out of physical therapy and get right on the indoor track,” Delma said.
“This can be so valuable to patients who are recovering from knee surgery or some other condition.”
During Monday’s question-and-answer session, retired Washington State University executive Katherine Baril said a new YMCA will help to attract and retain younger residents.
“Creating a walkable, bikeable community can be more important than jobs because if you bring people here, they can create their own jobs,” Baril said.
“Young people can provide the services needed to keep older people like me healthy, which prevents us from getting cranky.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.