WAYNE, NJ — With plans for a new township community center in mind, Wayne officials are looking to purchase the current YMCA building on Pike Drive.
On Wednesday night, Wayne Township Council approved an ordinance that authorizes the town to purchase the building—by eminent domain if necessary.
It’s a decision that a YMCA exec says the organization is “disappointed” by, as they were interested in collaborating with the township in a public-private partnership at the Y.
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The ordinance authorizing purchase of the building was added on to the council agenda earlier that day. Township officials provided some more information via social media on Friday, saying that the YMCA approached them in early March about future use of their building at 1 Pike Drive.
“Based on those discussions the township approached the YMCA about purchasing the property,” officials said, adding that acquiring the 107,000-square-foot building would support their desire to build a recreational facility for the community.
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The building was constructed in 1975, according to township tax records. It originally served as a community center for Jewish and non-Jewish members alike through the Young Mens and Young Womens Hebrew Association (YM-YWHA) of North Jersey, before that organization reached a deal with the Metro YMCA of the Oranges to take over operations in 2011.
“The Wayne Y has proudly served the residents of Wayne Township and the surrounding communities through out essential programs and services,” Metro Y president and CEO Rick Gorab said in a statement to Patch.
This January, Gorab said, the Wayne Y exercised their option to purchase the facility from the YM-YWHA “with the goal of continuing to serve and support our members in Wayne Township.”
“We are therefore disappointed by the actions of the township to proceed in this manner, especially after we expressed our interest in collaborating with them in a public-private partnership at the YMCA,” he said.
Township officials have been contemplating the possibility of creating a community recreation center since those discussions with the YMCA in the spring, their statement Friday said.
The Parks and Recreation Department would operate the building, “continuing the current operation while offering new programs for township residents and community organizations,” officials said.
Township Council approved a separate ordinance in April that authorized paying up to $135,525 for project management and architectural design for a possible future community and recreation center, as first reported by TAPinto Wayne. Mayor Christopher Vergano mentioned that there is not really a central space in Wayne for the township’s seniors, youth groups, and scout troops to congregate.
If the YMCA building is to become this new hub, officials envision moving the township Department of Health and Division of Senior Services into the complex at 1 Pike Drive, potentially add another branch of the Wayne Public Library, and add more meeting and activity space.
The acquisition of the property is not definite, and township officials said they hope to come to a mutually-beneficial agreement with the YMCA. The township would pay for the purchase using the taxpayer-funded Open Space, Recreation and Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund, which allows for acquisition of lands for recreation and conservation purposes.
“Once we reach a negotiation once we reach the negotiated settlement, we’ll disclose that amount, and we’ll have a bond ordinance utilizing the open space fund,” Vergano said on Wednesday. “So, we were going to use the open space fund to fund the new building at Kilroy, and instead we’ll be using the open space fund to acquire the YMCA.”
As Jon Meredith with TAPinto noted, the township was already planning to replace a building at Capt. Michael Kilroy Memorial Park on Concord Place for the possible community center.
Earlier this year, Wayne’s Parks and Recreation Department won a state award for the improvements made to Tom’s Lake, the new splash pad, and other improvements at Captain Kilroy Park.
Patch had reached out to Vergano on Friday morning for more information on the township’s possible purchase of the Wayne YMCA and its cost.
Officials are also beginning to work on a new Master Plan, which is a blueprint that guides the town’s long-term development. Wayne Township has not created a new Master Plan in 30 years, though amendments have been made over the years and officials also have reviewed the 1994 document periodically.
Vergano said at Wednesday’s meeting that it would take about two years to create a new Master Plan.
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