Ketchum City Council members this week delayed signing a long-term land lease to accommodate the proposed Wood River Community YMCA, complaining that city staff did not provide the final document in time for a complete review.
Addressing a small crowd of YMCA supporters Monday, March 7, Council President Randy Hall expressed frustration that the lease and its supporting documents were not provided in time for the council to conduct a long-awaited vote that would put a draft lease agreement into force.
"I am embarrassed, and I apologize," Hall said.
Despite the setback—one of several experienced by the YMCA group in recent months—progress was made in advancing a 99-year agreement to provide land for a new recreational center on the city-owned Park and Ride lot, at the corner of Warm Springs and Saddle roads.
In a 3-0 vote Monday, the council approved a resolution that declares the approximately 1.5 acres proposed to be leased to the YMCA and an additional 1.1 acres being provided under an easement for landscaping and access "are not otherwise needed for city purposes." Essentially, the resolution is a legal provision for city leaders to sign the lease.
Councilman Baird Gourlay said he believes leasing a portion of the Park and Ride lot to the Ketchum-based YMCA group is befitting, largely because the city purchased the 5.8-acre property in 1989 for three primary purposes, including recreation.
"To me, (the YMCA) is the appropriate usage," Gourlay said. "I can't imagine a better usage for the property."
Intending to execute the lease as soon as possible, council members scheduled a special meeting Wednesday, March 16, to lend approval to the final draft.
The Wood River Community YMCA is currently in the throes of raising $16 million to build a new 84,000-square-foot recreation center on the Park and Ride site. The project design is currently under review by the city Planning and Zoning Commission.
Leaders of the YMCA have for months been anticipating being granted a lease. On Nov. 2, 2004, Ketchum citizens voted by a margin of 1,174 to 704 to endorse leasing 1.5 acres of city land to the group for $1 per year.
However, fine tuning the lease has taken longer than expected, and Ketchum Mayor Ed Simon earlier this year sought to delay approval of a lease agreement until after the city completed further review of the project and its finances.
YMCA officials have maintained that an approved lease is a key component to successful fund raising for the project, which is being funded entirely by private-sector donations. The group still needs to raise approximately $10 million to build the project and to establish an endowment for the facility and its programs.
On Monday, Simon and the council asked YMCA officials to respond to a March 4 letter by contracted city consultant Dan Pincetich that suggests the YMCA's projected revenues could be too optimistic.
Teresa Beahen, executive director of the Wood River Community YMCA, told the council that the YMCA's planned $2.3 million annual budget is based on "conservative" revenue estimates that likely could be exceeded.
The YMCA is anticipating that approximately 580 Blaine County families will purchase memberships each year and an additional 474 individual adults will do the same. Membership income is projected to produce 41 percent of the facility's annual revenues.
Simon said he is doubtful the YMCA can maintain the projected level of membership over time and might not be able to count on receiving an estimated $330,000 per year estimated to come from ongoing private-sector donations.
"I'm concerned that the money isn't going to be there," Simon said.
Despite her willingness to support the project, Councilwoman Terry Tracy voiced similar concerns.
"I have to say, this project scares the hell out of me," she said.
After Beahen assured Simon that extensive studies have indicated the YMCA's income would be sufficient, Hall stepped in to voice unwavering support for the city's planned partnership with the group.
"We have found the best recreation provider in the world," Hall said
