Salem YMCA has faith in future thanks to lottery funds (2024)

Sam Carrollcan see it now: YMCA members enjoying the view of the State Capitol through floor-to-ceiling windows while they exercise, runners getting in their laps on an air-conditioned track, children in wheelchairs rolling up to one of several ADA accessibleentrances on their way to the therapy pool, and patrons sweating over the rigor of spin class instead of the huntfor a parking spot.

That has been his vision for the Salem Family YMCA since he became chief executive officer in December 2014.

It’s what motivates him every day as he walks into the existing downtown Y building, which is nearly a century old and costs the organization as much as $100,000 a year in maintenance and repair.

“For us to be successful for years to come and to be here in the community, we need a new building,” Carroll said. “It’s never not been a topic of conversation. It’s been about timing.”

Now the timing seems right.

The Oregon Legislature has authorized $12 million in lottery bonds to the YMCA of Marion and Polk Counties to construct a new facility in Salem.

That’shalfway toward the estimated $24 million it will take to build a new Y at its current location, and a lifeline for a struggling nonprofit organization.

“I’ve been gravely concerned about the Y,” said Senate President Peter Courtney, a former YMCA board member, and a longtime patron.“More than once I thought she wasn’t going to make it.

“This saves the Y.”

The history

The YMCA has been serving Salem since 1892, and the downtown building opened in 1926. At the time it was billed as one of the finest YMCAs in the country.

Fast forward nine decades and the building isfraught with problems, including an inefficient heating and cooling system,unused office space and locker rooms, a sputtering elevator, limited ADA accommodations and scarce parking.

A new building, one that is energy efficient, will save the organization money. The existing HVAC system, more than 30 years old, is running at 65 percent capacity. The system doesn’t cover all areas of the building, such as the indoor track.

“This is our air conditioning,” Carroll said as he pointed to open windows.

The boiler is so outdated the coolant it requires will be obsolete in a couple of years.

Carroll said the monthly electric bill runs more than $7,000 and the water bill more than $3,000.

“We think we can reduce those expenses easily by 50 percent in an energy-efficient building,” he said.

Some of the patchwork fixes, such as installing two exhaust fans in the main pool to reduce humidity, are relatively inexpensive. Others are cost prohibitive.

The elevator is on its last legs. Replacing it would cost an estimated $350,000. The Y recently paid $30,000 to have the motor repaired.

The roof needs work, which would cost upwards of $200,000. Leaks come with the territory, in some rooms more than others. The Mat Room, used by martial artists, gymnasts and yoga enthusiasts, requires a bucket brigade to keep equipment and participantsdry during the raining season.

The maintenance staff is stretched to keep the facility functional, safe and clean.

“We are constantly in a state of repair," Carroll said. "You just can’t continue to throw money at it."

The organization has an operating budget of $5.1 million, with more than 60 percent of revenue coming from programs and 30 percent from membership. Salem Family YMCA is headquarters for an organization that includes branches in Independence, Silverton, and Stayton.

For the Y to be more fiscally sound, Carroll said, those numbers should be swapped.

The organization operated at a $300,000 loss in 2014 but has managed to be more than $60,000 in the black each of the past two years.

“Sam has turned the Y around,” board president Chuck Adamssaid. “I know where we were financially before, and it was dire."

Difficult decisions were made, including staff cuts. In 2014, 72 percent of income was spent on personnel. Today, the figure is 56 percent.

Still, Adams and Carroll doubt the organization could survive without a new building, or without the lottery bonds.

“Three months ago, if you asked me if the Y would be around, I would have said I really don’t know,” Adams said. “From a pure financial standpoint, at best it was 50-50, and probably a lot worse. Now I can almost guarantee the Y will be around at least 50 years if not 100 years.”

The meeting

The organization's mission and future were in jeopardy until a chance meeting on thesidewalk May 5 in front of the YMCA.

It happened around 11:30 a.m., between Adams and Courtney, two men who have history on opposite sides of the political aisle. Adams ran Cub Houck's successfulrace against Courtney for a state senate seat in 1986.

Adams had just parked his car and was headed in to play basketball. Courtney had just finished his spinclass and was on his way out back to the State Capitol.

Courtney asked about the building. Adams mentioned that he and the CEO had recently met with some of the community's movers and shakers to see if they could quit talking about building a new one and actually do it.

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They lacked the means, which prompted Courtney to mention he might know of some available funds. He asked where the new facility would be built, and Adams told him everybody's goal was to keep it downtown.

It's no secret the Y has a special place in Courtney's heart. It was his first home when he came to Salem in 1969. He lived in Room 206, not far from where his spinclass takes place now. He later served on the board, and his three boys learned to swim there.

Two weeks after that sidewalk chat,on May 19, Carroll provided testimony in front of the Joint Committee on Capital Construction. Courtney is on the committee.

Carroll's two-minute plea tugged at the heartstrings of the members as he sharedhow the Y is a place wherechildren with physical challenges get freedom from their wheelchairs in the pool and where cancer survivors reclaim their health in exercise rooms.

He noted how the Y servesstate workers and their families in a convenient location andhow the organization will provide more than $400,000 in financial aid this year to those who have limited financial resources.

Then they waited. Weeks went by. They kept their fingers crossed and their faith in Courtney.

“The best thing to do was not oversell it, and let Peter do his thing,” Adams said. “It did not get caught up in politics, which is the good news.”

When Senate Bill 5530 passed, on July 7, one of the first people Carroll called was Chuck Hudkins, a longtime board member and the namesake of the organization’s volunteer of the year award.

If not for Hudkins, who just about single-handedly raised about $200,000 in 2014 to keep the doors open, Courtney would have had nothing to recommend.

“Thanks for making sure we’re still here,” Carroll told Hudkins.

The future

YMCA officials figure they have about 18 months to raise the other $12 million, come up with an architectural design, and do a market study.

A rendering of a new YMCA in Seattle — sleek and modern with lots of windows — has already been shown to a local architect. Something like that would look amazing on the corner of Court and Cottage streets NE.

Amenities in the new building will include a full-length pool, gymnasium, walking/running track, group exercise studios, cardio and strength training areas, and racquetball courts.

Childcare facilities, affordable housing and the IKE Box, a coffee shop that supports teens with challenges and operates out of the YMCA-owned building next door, also are part of the plan. So is better parking.

The Y currently serves about 10,000 members, a diverse mix of people of all ages, races, backgrounds and fitness levels. Carroll estimates a 30 percent boost in membership with a new building.

The YMCA plans to stay operational during construction, so the project will have to be done in phases.

► Additional reading:Longtime volunteer records history at state archives

Additional funding sources will include foundations, private donors, the city, and tax credits.

Support from the community will be vital. It may take another herculean effort, like the one that helped bring the Kroc Center here. The community donation campaign raised $10 million, $2 million more than the goal.

Then-Salem Mayor Janet Taylorpublicly praised the community’s effort, particularly the willingness of groups such as the Salem Family YMCA to put their own plans on hold to move the Salvation Army project forward.

“The Y has always stepped back and let someone else go first, waiting its turn and being a good team player," Courtney said. "But the turnnever came. This is it. There was very little time left in my opinion.”

The city supports the YMCA's plan, particularly the housing piece. In a letter submitted to the legislature, Salem city manager StevePowerswrote how Oregon is facing a housing and homeless crisis and that “the Y could help strengthen housing partnerships.”

The YMCA has a rich history of providing affordable housing for individuals since 1926. During World War II, it provided free residence to servicemen and at times the gym was used as overflow. In 1944, it provided rooms for female students at Willamette University while a dormitory was being constructed.

Today, the Court Street Apartments provide 18 units of affordable housing for men and women. The YMCA purchased the apartments in 1972.

Since then, the Y has undergone several expansions and renovations. It purchased the building next door, a former funeral home, in 1999.

Those acquisitions offer options for building a new facility in phases while keeping the YMCA open.

The timing for a new building couldn’t be better, in Carroll's opinion.

“You’ve got to be in decent financial position for the community to believe in you,” Carroll said. “We have rebuilt relationships and faith in what we do as an organization, faith in our future.”

“Forward This” appears Wednesdays and Sundays and highlights the people, places and organizations of the Mid-Willamette Valley. Contact Capi Lynn at clynn@StatesmanJournal.com or 503-399-6710, or follow her the rest of the week on Twitter @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ.