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YMCA board says yes to Oldsmar

A Y official says she hopes to have a YMCA up and running there in three to four years.

By TAMARA EL-KHOURY
Published June 1, 2006

OLDSMAR - A steering committee dedicated to bringing a YMCA to Oldsmar can start looking for an architect and begin plans for a fundraising campaign.

The approval from the YMCA of the Suncoast board of directors came last week and is the latest step in a process that could take several years.

In the next three months, the YMCA will likely solicit proposals from several architects to determine what kind of building the proposed 10-acre site can sustain, and to present renderings of an Oldsmar YMCA to the board, said Elizabeth Dubuque, senior vice president and chief operating officer for the YMCA of the Suncoast.

Once a price is attached to the project, fundraising can begin. A capital campaign is expected to kick off in the next three to six months, Dubuque said.

Oldsmar City Manager Bruce Haddock issued a letter of intent in April 2005 to lease 10 acres of city-owned property to the YMCA for $1 a year. The land is between the fire station on Pine Avenue and the municipal center. It's north of Douglas Road, with access from Commerce Boulevard.

Before getting the go-ahead from the board, a market study had to show heavy community interest in bringing a YMCA to the city. That market study, conducted last summer by Winfield Consulting Group of Atlanta, found great interest among residents. Oldsmar's business community was also surveyed.

Last year, the community raised half of the $24,000 needed for a market study in a day. The YMCA funded the other half.

Linda Williams, who heads the steering committee, said she hopes to have a YMCA running in three to four years. Although Williams doesn't know how much the project will cost, her estimate is about $5-million.

"With the response that we've gotten from our community, I'm confident we will be able to raise the money quickly," Williams said.

Surveys show residents want an outdoor pool heated in the winter and combining lap lanes with recreational features. Residents have also asked for a wellness center with multipurpose space for fitness classes, a babysitting area and a teen center.

The North Pinellas branch on East Lake Road is the closest YMCA to Oldsmar, Williams said.

The YMCA looks to the community to raise most of the money for a center. Williams said a community has to prove it is ready and willing to do the work it takes to bring a YMCA to the city.

"The Y has told us in all their experience that Oldsmar has been the perfect example of people that are pulling together to try to accomplish this goal," Williams said.

[Last modified June 1, 2006, 00:51:13]