The Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center is on track to open in September, although likely under a different name.
“We appreciate and recognize the vision that the founders of SARC had, but it has become clear a name change needs to take place,” said Gary Huff, Olympic Peninsula YMCA board member.
“We plan to call it the Sequim YMCA.”
Still, the name and reopening depends on the completion of a contract between SARC and Olympic Peninsula YMCA officials and the approval of a $731,705 grant request from the Clallam County Opportunity Fund by the SARC board of commissioners.
Grant request
The commissioners postponed making a decision on the grant until after bids for the Carlsborg sewer project were received, which also targets Opportunity Funds.
Bids for the sewer project are expected to be opened in a public meeting March 1.
Shortly after the bids are reviewed, county officials plan a public hearing on the SARC request, SARC Vice Chairman Sherry Nagel said.
“That would get us on our timeline for getting the air handler installed,” she said.
The air handler is a large piece of equipment required by the state Department of Health to maintain the air quality, humidity and chemicals at a safe balance within the building of an indoor swimming pool.
Replacing the aging air handler at SARC is the primary reason behind the need for a grant.
Given the delayed decision by the county commissioners and with expenses that can’t be postponed, such as electric bills, SARC chairman Frank Pickering appointed two board members to spearhead the sale of some older exercise equipment Feb. 10. The last electric bill was about $1,100, he said.
“I appointed Jan [Richards] and Bill [Jeffers] to work with the YMCA to sell older equipment,” he said. “The key thing is making sure all equipment that YMCA and OMC plan to use is kept.”
A new YMCA
For months, SARC and YMCA officials have jointly worked toward reopening SARC, which closed Oct. 30.
Under the developing agreement, the SARC board would “simply be the landlord” for the facility, Pickering said, and the management would fall under YMCA control.
Although it’s under construction, the term of the lease will be a minimum of 15 years, Nagel said. SARC members who prepaid prior to SARC closing also will be addressed in the lease, Huff added.
Upon opening, YMCA officials plan to operate SARC like its neighboring YMCA facilities.
“We’re thinking of this like opening a new YMCA,” Huff said. “Basically, we plan to operate it the same way as the facilities in Port Angeles and Port Townsend.”
Thus, the Sequim YMCA would have similar hours of operation from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays, Huff said.
Also, per YMCA policy, “no one would be turned away because of an inability to pay program fees or a membership,” Huff said.
Instead, the YMCA would raise funds to ensure everyone can become a member, which gives access to other YMCAs, too.
“Our first-year budget, with an opening in September, shows a total projected loss of about $300,000,” Huff said. “Of that, $200,000 are opening costs, including building repairs to open, staffing, equipment, marketing and signage.
“The other $100,000 is from the cost of beginning with a lower membership and building that up,” he said.
“Our fundraising efforts so far have identified about $90,000 to help cover those costs.”
Five-year budget
The YMCA has a “variety of ways” to meet the projected costs associated with opening, Huff said. Examples include fundraising, borrowing, using reserves or a “combination of [all] three,” he said.
“Our five-year budget shows that we can make that back, break even and move forward by about 2018.”
The budget plan outlined by Huff assumes monthly membership fees between $48 and $50 per individual and between $70 and $75 for couples.
To prevent infrastructure damage and to keep the pool from shifting, Clallam County Fire District No. 3 officials recently volunteered to add more water to the pool, Pickering said.
“They [the fire district] have been extremely helpful,” he said.
Volunteers equipped with their own tools and lawn mower still are sought by the SARC board to help maintain the exterior of the building and lawn. Tasks include lawn mowing, weed-eating and/or spraying and clearing debris.
If interested, contact SARC Commissioner Bill Jeffers at 360-670-6961.
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Alana Linderoth is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach her at alinderoth@sequimgazette.com.