Y officials upbeat about future

06/23/2005

Organization eager to start planning for $12M facility beside Earl Haig Park

BY MICHAEL-ALLAN MARION
EXPOSITOR STAFF / BRANTFORD

With land from the city, a new CEO, new board members and a community support group behind it, a re-energized YM-YWCA is moving full speed ahead with its plan to build a $12-million facility next to Earl Haig Park.

“Our future has been redefined in the most positive terms,” Brian Wood, vice-president of the Y’s board of directors, said Wednesday.

He was speaking two days after council unanimously approved the transfer of 4.5 acres, currently occupied by the Go-Kart track, next to Earl Haig Park on Market Street South.

It was arranged in a series of meetings between the Y board members, a support group calling themselves Friends of the Y and city officials.

OVERWHELMING SUPPORT

“Support for the Y has been overwhelming from every sector,” said Wood.

“We especially appreciate the support of city council to provide land, and city staff were very helpful and cooperative in providing technical assistance to our board.”

Nancy Romanenko, who is just starting as the new CEO, said Wednesday a hectic pace will have to be maintained in the next six months.

In the short period of time the Y must:

Vacate its longtime building on Queen Street by the end of August;
Take up quarters in a revamped transitional facility in the old Work Wear building at Wellington and Clarence streets, to be called the Family Program Centre. Move-in is tentatively scheduled for the first week of September;
And undertake the first stages of planning for its new facility.

“Having the land has a huge impact for us,” said Romanenko. “Large numbers of people want to help the Y but we need to know if we were getting the land. Now we can start garnering offers of assistance.”

She said the Y can go ahead and negotiate a site agreement between the board and the city, and prepare architectural drawings.

Preliminary plans call for a gymnasium, pool and hot tub, sauna, racquet courts, strength and conditioning centre, studio and meeting spaces for a full range of programs serving pre-schoolers to seniors.

OVERDUE

Romanenko, who has come from a stint running the Brockville Y, said Brantford Y officials will tour new sister facilities in Waterdown and the just completed Welland and Niagara buildings for a taste of the latest facilities.

“We will offer people here an excellent full-service facility they can be proud of,” she said.

“Brantford certainly deserves and is overdue for something like this.”

Meanwhile, James Kent, a Superior Court justice, has been named the latest of three appointments to the board.

He was the nominal leader of a group of 10 Friends, now called the YMCA Support Committee.

The new co-ordinators of that group are Mary Welsh and Nick Rizzo, both longtime business people and community boosters. Other members are: Terry Bateson, Kent Dixon, Martin Dixon, Jay Hitchon, Dr. John Lind, Rick Sterne and Dick Waterous.

The support committee will work with the board to finance the building, with construction to begin next year.