AMHERST - The Cumberland YMCA's board of directors is continuing to consider a funding proposal from the Town of Amherst, but is not ready to make a decision just yet.
"We are continuing to work on it and the lines of communication are still open with both the town and the county," YMCA board chair Paul Pugsley said Tuesday. "We want to get things in place as soon as possible so we can reopen the pool quickly if the numbers work."
The YMCA pool has been closed since March 16 after the board of directors decided to close it as a cost-saving measure to protect other core services and programs.
The board was supposed to let the town know on Tuesday whether it was going to accept the funding proposal made last week. Pugsley did meet briefly with town CAO Greg Herrett to clarify some of the issues.
"I had a brief meeting with Paul Pugsley, who was seeking some clarification. I provided that information to him and we're hoping to get a response sometime in the next few days," Herrett said.
Pugsley said the board is meeting with representatives from the Municipality of Cumberland on Friday and is scheduled to have a meeting on Tuesday, April 7. However, he said, the board would hold an emergency meeting to make a decision on both the town and county's proposals if the need arose.
YMCA managing director Trina Clarke it's taking longer than hoped to pull everything together, partially because it involves two separate partnerships.
"It's taking time, more time than we hoped, but we're continuing to work with both the town and the county," she said. "I don't want to see the pool closed a day longer than it has to be and like everyone else I'll be happy with this situation is resolved and the pool is open again...we're continuing to work in that direction."
Last week, the town brought forward a proposal that included the creation of a community pool reserve that would be seeded with $50,000 from town reserves. The $45,000 spent annually on the YMCA's summer swim program would be put into that fund.
As well, the town would levy an additional once cent charge per $100 assessment on both residential and commercial properties.
The total proposal would amount to $132,244 annually plus another $5,000 that's given to the YMCA for its Friday night program.
Several weeks ago, the Municipality of Cumberland announced it would provide $100,00 per year over five years.
When the board originally announced in February its intentions to close the pool, it said it required $300,000 as part of a partnership with the town and the county. That money would not only allow for the reopening of the pool, but would all the YMCA to put money away for capital costs.
The YMCA's business plan is requesting $1.6-million in funding from both municipalities over five years.
dcole@amherstdaily.com
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