Columbia County officials might again seek to partner with the Family Y to operate a proposed aquatics center.
As part of the Gateway Project on Lewiston Road near Interstate 20, county officials say they hope to construct an aquatics and tennis center next to a possible Family Y fitness facility, Columbia County Commission Chairman Ron Cross said. The proposal will be part of an $18 million bond referendum appearing before voters Nov. 4.
"They continued to express interest that they wanted a real nice Columbia County facility," Mr. Cross said. "It seemed to all fall into place, between the (Family) Y ... and the county."
Such management agreements are common, Family Y President and Chief Executive Officer Danny McConnell said.
"There's over 100 of these relationships with different Ys around the country and over 1,000 YMCAs doing some sort of management agreement with city and county governments," Mr. McConnell said.
A similar partnership between the county and Family Y was discussed three years ago, but was abandoned because a lease agreement could not be reached.
Should voters approve the bond referendum, Columbia County would own the aquatics and tennis center, but allow Family Y to operate and maintain the facility, Mr. Cross said.
"It's an ideal situation, because we really don't want to be in the pool business," he said.
The partnership would save taxpayers more than $800,000 each year in maintenance and operations costs, county Assistant Administrator Scott Johnson said during a Wednesday meeting with the county Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The Family Y might depend on a county subsidy for operations costs when the facility opens, but Mr. McConnell said it would be a short-lived subsidy.
"What we're real good at is running programs and generating revenue," he said. "There's a lot of ways to do that: day-use passes, monthly and annual memberships, programs we can operate."
Though Family Y might build a facility near the aquatics center, Mr. Johnson said there is no guarantee they would win a contract to run the natatorium. He said the county intends to entertain other options for management .
"We don't want to decide on who's going to run it before the voters approve it," Mr. Johnson said.
Reach Donnie Fetter at (706) 868-1222, ext. 115, or donnie.fetter@augustachronicle.com.
BY THE NUMBERS
$18 million - The amount of a proposed bond referendum to build an aquatics and tennis center in Columbia County
$20 - Annual added cost in property taxes on a $100,000 home to pay for the bond
43,100 - Square footage of proposed aquatics center
3 - Number of swimming pools -- an indoor competition pool, an indoor training pool and an outdoor pool
12 to 16 - Number of proposed tennis courts
75 - Percentage of patrons to the Augusta Aquatics Center on Damascus Road living in Columbia County
