The YMCA of Greater Houston has begun discussions regarding possible future YMCA locations, including one somewhere along the Rayford Road corridor that could serve southeast Montgomery County.

Paul McEntire, chief operating officer of YMCA of Greater Houston, said the YMCA has been approached by groups in a dozen areas around Houston for potential sites. McEntire said the YMCA board of directors would soon form a task force to study the different locations requesting facilities. He said he hopes a meeting will be held in southeast Montgomery County before the end of the year to receive public input on a potential YMCA.

"We're certainly very excited about the opportunity and look forward to meeting with people to discuss what they want," he said.

Although McEntire said no sites have yet been examined, YMCAs usually cost anywhere from $10 million to $15 million to develop. There are three ways to fund a new YMCA: accumulated cash, debt financing and fundraising, although YMCA does not have enough accumulated cash for a new location. YMCA of Houston constructed several YMCAs in the Greater Houston area between 2002 and 2008 through debt financing, McEntire said, but he does not anticipate YMCA accumulating more debt in the near future.

A typical YMCA is usually 30,000-35,000 square feet in size, he said. The property required for YMCAs can range anywhere from 5 acres to 35 acres, depending on the interest in the community of providing sports fields. McEntire said YMCA construction is more likely to occur if land can be donated or sold at a significantly discounted rate.

YMCA also looks for sites near schools and churches, where agreements can be made for the shared use of parking lots, sports fields and other amenities.

"The more of that type of thing you can do, the more you can maximize the land usage," McEntire said.

Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack said the idea for a YMCA in the area came from community members on the east side of I-45. Noack said residents have approached him with the idea, and he has met with YMCA officials. He said residents he spoke with have shown an interest in sports programs, meeting spaces, a family gym environment and after school activities.

Noack said YMCA officials told him southeast Montgomery County could be one of the three top spots in the Houston area. Three or four sites in the region could be available, Noack said, which could include some donated land and some purchased land, depending on the site.

"If they could have a large track of land with football fields, baseball fields, soccer fields, a ropes course, that would be great," he said. "But they understand that in south Montgomery County that land is at a premium, so it may be a smaller YMCA."

Although Noack said he would like to see a YMCA constructed in the area, Montgomery County does not have the money to construct one itself.

"It's really up to the YMCA to go out and get this building built," he said. "To the extent that I can help get private funding I will, but I can't see the county participating in funding."

Although there are three YMCAs in south Montgomery County, the nearest location is more than 8 miles from Rayford Road.