Wayne negotiating purchase of YMCA to expand recreation offerings
WAYNE — The township wants to purchase the local YMCA to open a public facility for performing arts and recreation.
Officials have looked for a way to expand their offerings in that vein, and they recently hired an architect to design a new community center at Capt. Michael Kilroy Memorial Park on Concord Place.
On Wednesday night, the Township Council took the initial step in a different direction by introducing an ordinance to buy the YMCA property on Pike Drive.
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The measure, which will be up for adoption on July 17, permits the township administration to proceed with the acquisition — either through negotiations or, if necessary, eminent domain.
Mayor Christopher Vergano said Thursday that the purchase would “support the township’s desire to provide a multipurpose recreation facility” for all ages.
“We believe that acquiring this property will provide a huge public benefit to the township today and provide for long-term community use,” the mayor said. “Opportunities are endless.”
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The township also plans to add a library annex to the facility, Vergano said.
Officials are actively negotiating with the YMCA, the mayor said. The township expects to “bring this to fruition very soon,” he added.
But Richard Gorab, the chief executive officer and president of the Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges, which runs the facility, said on behalf of the Livingston-based organization that he was “disappointed by the actions of the township” to proceed in such a manner, “especially after we expressed our interest in collaborating with them in a public-private partnership.”
The 14.2-acre property, off Ratzer Road, is assessed at $11.9 million. As a nonprofit, the YMCA does not pay property taxes.
Amenities at the complex include a six-lane indoor pool, tennis courts, and a wellness center with cardio equipment, free weights and strength-training machines. In addition, there is a 406-seat auditorium and a basketball court with the same dimensions as in the NBA.
The facility was founded on principles of Judaism. It was dedicated in September 1976 as a community center for the Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association, or the YM-YWHA.
It became the Wayne Y when leaders of the Hebrew association partnered with the Metropolitan YMCA in September 2011.
In January, the Metropolitan YMCA exercised its option to purchase the facility from its partner with a “goal of continuing to serve our members” and the township at large, Gorab said. It has retained Jewish programs through a sponsorship by the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey.
The Metropolitan YMCA, the largest organization of YMCAs in the state, operates six branches in Bergen, Essex, Passaic and Sussex counties, plus a coed summer camp on 660 acres east of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: devencentis@northjersey.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Wayne NJ negotiating purchase of YMCA for new community center
