The gist
Georgetown officials have been evaluating different improvement projects for an anticipated bond election later this year. As part of the ongoing discussions, City Council members have shown interest in placing a ballot item on a November bond election to contribute funding to a new YMCA facility on Williams Drive in Georgetown.
Jeff Andresen, executive director of the YMCA of Central Texas, outlined what a partnership between the two entities could entail during a July 25 workshop with Georgetown City Council.
The details
The YMCA already has plans to use around $13.5 million to build a facility on Williams Drive, ranging from 35,000-40,000 square feet. However, the scope of that facility could expand to 50,000-60,000 square feet with a contribution from Georgetown. The estimated cost for the city’s portion of the project would be $9 million-$10 million. If the city and YMCA agree on a partnership, Andresen said the YMCA would cover 100% of the daily operating costs.
Meanwhile, the city has also had ongoing discussions about constructing a new recreation center of its own.
Diving in deeper
If the city of Georgetown and YMCA enter into an agreement to build the new facility, it could include:
- An additional gym
- Pickleball courts
- Expanded wellness
- Sports fields
- Community meeting space
“The concerns that you have for your recreation center is overcrowding and getting there because of the traffic and the growth, and this model hopefully will help that,” Andresen said.
What council are saying
“I see this as a way to leverage our resources to build another facility that can work for our community,” District 1 Council Member Amanda Parr said. “I don't think in any way this takes away from the conversations around, ‘Is the city of Georgetown going to build a second recreation facility in the future?’”
“Just being in the construction world, these numbers seem too low,” District 6 Council Member Jake French said. “So I would be concerned about that. I would want to wrap my head around that fully, especially before we post something on a bond election and make sure that we feel comfortable with what we're presenting, but I'm supportive of the idea.”
Some context
More than 60% of YMCAs built in the U.S. have been constructed through a partnership with a municipality, hospital, school district or developer. Some area partners of the YMCA include:
- City of Round Rock
- City of Hutto
- City of Burnet
- City of Cedar Park
- City of Waco
Georgetown officials will continue to plan out a bond package as the year progresses. City Council has until Aug. 15 to call a November election, in which case voters would be asked to approve around $300 million in capital improvement projects. Should residents approve the ballot item related to the YMCA expansion, construction on the project could begin in 2025.
