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Business News
The issue: Canton YMCA
Our view: Future looks bright, thanks in part to Eric Snow’s passion for new facility
Four years ago, the future for Canton’s Downtown YMCA looked worse than bleak.
The nine-story, nearly century-old building on Second Street NW was closed. Agency officials said it was too big and too far past its prime to make remodeling worth the out-of-sight expense. A plan to sell the building to a local developer, who would lease back some of the space to the YMCA, had fallen through.
In the summer of 2009, the city and YMCA had co-sponsored some summer activities at one of the city-owned community centers. But at about the same time, YMCA Chief Executive Officer Tim Shetzer told The Rep’s editorial board that one-third of the 1,500 children who had been participating in activities at the downtown facility had not found other programs.
We felt sure a terrible possibility had become a reality: A YMCA presence in downtown Canton was a thing of the past.
But in 2010, the prospects brightened, and the YMCA set a fundraising goal of $4.5 million for a project combining new construction with part of the existing building. Officials said then that the facility would be named for Canton native and former NBA player Eric Snow.
Fast-forward to this week, and the announcement that $3.2 million — a sizable portion of it apparently from Snow himself — has been raised toward a goal of $4.9 million. If all goes well, the old building will be razed to make way for a new 26,000-square-foot complex to accommodate a projected membership of 4,000.
Driven by Snow’s obvious passion for the project, a public campaign to raise the rest of the funds begins later today. This is a wonderful turnaround in the life of a beloved facility that deserves a reincarnation in the heart of downtown.
The issue: Canton YMCA
Our view: Future looks bright, thanks in part to Eric Snow’s passion for new facility
Four years ago, the future for Canton’s Downtown YMCA looked worse than bleak.
The nine-story, nearly century-old building on Second Street NW was closed. Agency officials said it was too big and too far past its prime to make remodeling worth the out-of-sight expense. A plan to sell the building to a local developer, who would lease back some of the space to the YMCA, had fallen through.
In the summer of 2009, the city and YMCA had co-sponsored some summer activities at one of the city-owned community centers. But at about the same time, YMCA Chief Executive Officer Tim Shetzer told The Rep’s editorial board that one-third of the 1,500 children who had been participating in activities at the downtown facility had not found other programs.
We felt sure a terrible possibility had become a reality: A YMCA presence in downtown Canton was a thing of the past.
But in 2010, the prospects brightened, and the YMCA set a fundraising goal of $4.5 million for a project combining new construction with part of the existing building. Officials said then that the facility would be named for Canton native and former NBA player Eric Snow.
Fast-forward to this week, and the announcement that $3.2 million — a sizable portion of it apparently from Snow himself — has been raised toward a goal of $4.9 million. If all goes well, the old building will be razed to make way for a new 26,000-square-foot complex to accommodate a projected membership of 4,000.
Driven by Snow’s obvious passion for the project, a public campaign to raise the rest of the funds begins later today. This is a wonderful turnaround in the life of a beloved facility that deserves a reincarnation in the heart of downtown.
