Officials want YMCA to build big facility
City survey indicated desire for indoor or outdoor pool, community rec center.
After issuing a survey to residents in spring gauging their wishes for infrastructure improvements in the city, it became resoundingly clear what Bastropians want: pools, recreation centers and a sports complex.
Without interest in creating its own recreation department, the city is looking to compel the YMCA to build a bigger presence in the city
In March and April, the city posted an online survey that asked residents three questions: What capital improvement does the city need; why is it a need; and where should it be built?
The survey received 104 responses — 66 percent were from Bastrop residents, or about 0.8 percent of the city’s total population.
The No. 1 response the city received was interest in either an indoor or outdoor pool; the second highest was a YMCA facility; the third highest, tied with two others, was a community recreation center.
“There is a real interest among some in our community to have more activities and recreational opportunities, whether for children, teams or adults,” said City Manager Lynda Humble.
But Mayor Connie Schroeder and many council members expressed little interest in creating a city-run recreation facility, and instead opted for the prospect of encouraging the YMCA to build a comprehensive facility in the city.
“Almost every single one of those asks is something that the YMCA has in their wheelhouse,” said Council Member Deborah Jones.
“I don’t know why in the world we would want to reinvent the wheel,” Schroeder said. “I think that many of the things that the Y could bring to the table are things that we do not have at all — how to hire a lifeguard, how to train those people, how to do the classes, all the curriculum for it.”
Last week, following the City Council’s discussions of the survey results, Schroeder said she would write a letter to the board members of the YMCA of Austin to “let them know that we are serious. What does it take? How do we move forward?” she said.
The YMCA has a location in downtown Bastrop, though it’s primarily used for administrative purposes and lacks amenities such as a gym and pool. Instead, the storefront office manages programs housed in other facilities across the city.
It facilitates swim programs at the Bastrop State Park pool, runs exercise programs out of the Kerr Community Center, youth programs out of local churches and dance classes out of local public schools.
Council Member Bill Ennis stressed that addressing the lack of public access to recreational facilities is something the council has been punting for too long.
“In the past, it’s been worked on and then put on the back burner, then worked on and put on the back burner. I think it’s time to really start throwing in some community effort to come up with a viable plan to bring a coalition to the table that could fund this,” Ennis said.
It’s not the first the time city has made a serious effort at luring a fully-equipped YMCA facility to Bastrop. In 2016, a proposed partnership between the city and the YMCA of Austin fizzled out after YMCA officials failed to secure a property for a multimillion-dollar center by a deadline required for a $1.6 million federal grant.
Instead, the city used the $1.6 million U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant to build an emergency shelter at Jewell Hodges Park.
Following the collapse of that deal, YMCA of Austin president and CEO James Finck hinted that a partnership with Bastrop could still be a possibility.