Community center would have a public benefit
The City of Sammamish and the YMCA of Greater Seattle (the Y) are exploring a partnership to create a community center.
The facility would be jointly owned by the city and the Y with the city being the majority owner. It would be operated by the Y under a management agreement where the Y would assume the operational financial risks. Sammamish taxpayers will not be asked to subsidize this facility.
The design being considered is similar to the extremely successful Coal Creek Y in Newcastle, with a few changes as a result of public input, most notably a larger aquatics area. The facility will provide many services, which are not available today in Sammamish, either from for-profit or nonprofit organizations. The original 90,000 square foot design has been scaled down to approximately 64,000 square feet; a significant portion of this reduction came from eliminating banquet and catering facilities as well as a more flexible design utilizing multipurpose rooms.
Group fitness, yoga, pool parties and many other activities will be available in these rooms.
The Y has been promoting family and community since 1844 and the vision for the Sammamish YMCA Community Center is to create a special place owned by the community and operated by an organization that has a history of placing family, community, and people first. Through its Partners with Youth program, the Y provides scholarships to people who otherwise could not afford swim lessons, summer camps, or other Y programs and services.
While some say a community center is a non-essential service, this could also be said about many other cherished amenities in our city such as our library, parks, trails and ballfields. We are proud of the quality of life we have in Sammamish but we know there are still unmet needs in our community and this is an outstanding opportunity to further enhance the value of our city.
Randy Nevin