Consortium Moves Ahead On YMCA Market Study
City Of Hugo To Contribute $2,000
HUGO - The process that could result in a new YMCA opening in the northeast metro area continues to move forward.
On April 7 the Hugo City Council approved the expenditure of $2,000 to help fund a market feasibility study that will explore the demand for such a facility in the region.The study "will help us quantify and understand the feasibility of doing the project," said Tom Holland, Executive Director of Northeast Family YMCA in White Bear Lake.
The City of Hugo is partnering with the City of White Bear Lake, the City of Mahtomedi, White Bear Township, and the Mahtomedi and White Bear Lake School Districts to fund the study, which is to be paid for on a proportional basis and comes on the heels of focus group studies conducted last summer.
"We got qualitative information from focus group study last summer, but this market study will give us scientific numbers as to how many people we could expect to be supportive if we did this," Holland said.
The study will gauge the general interest in bringing a YMCA facility to the region, but specifics such as the facility's location, features, and an approximate project cost haven't yet been worked out.
Holland said that some of the specific questions the study will look at include what programs residents are interested in, how far people are willing to drive to frequent the facility, and what prices people are able to pay for fitness classes and membership.
Because the northeast metro region is so sprawling, the question of where the new YMCA might be constructed is of interest to Hugo residents.
"The Parks Commission and a number of residents have expressed desire in having a community center, and in the past they've thought about a community center in Hugo," said Community Development Director Bryan Bear, adding that "anything that would be closer for residents" would be of interest to the city.
There's already a YMCA in White Bear Lake, but the facility is located just blocks away from Maplewood Mall, making traveling to and from the facility inconvenient for Hugo residents.
In addition, the White Bear Lake YMCA is 37 years old and lacks features that are standard for newer buildings, such as handicapped accessibility.
"It served its purpose well for 1971, but not for today," Holland said.
At the beginning of last year, a new YMCA opened in Lino Lakes, and Holland said that the first year of the facility's operation has been a rousing success.
"It's been surpassing expectations, and it's been very successful," Holland said, adding that the 44,000 square foot Lino Lakes facility has the potential to expand if the club continues to grow.
The $9 million Lino Lakes project was funded through a mix of private donations and public monies, and Holland said that the northeast facility would probably be funded through a similar combination of sources.
Hugo City Administrator Mike Ericson said that the feasibility study should be completed over the next couple of months, with results to be presented to the City Council sometime before the end of the summer.
If, after the study is completed, it is decided that the project will go forward, the next step will be to draw up a business plan that will answer questions about the facility's ownership, governance, and operations.
Holland said that if the project continues to move forward the new facility is on track to open sometime between 2010 and 2012.