September 13, 2024

As you may be aware, the Rome YMCA began a very aggressive endeavor to build a new YMCA on Floyd Avenue beginning in 2018, and had made great progress. It is with sadness that we must inform you that the Corporate Board of Directors, after significant deliberations regarding the Rome YMCA's Capital Campaign to construct the new facility, has decided not to move forward with the capital project at this time. Recently, we received a response from the NYS HCR (Home and Community Renewal's CIF Fund) that the Y will not receive $2 million grant, which was planned for in the campaign funding stack and widens an already large funding gap.

COVID-19 pandemic decimated the operations of the YMCA, resulting in the loss of over 50% of our membership base after the closure of its facilities for nearly five months. Thankfully, many of our loyal, long-time members stayed with us, allowing us to continue operations despite lacking staff and resources. We served as an essential childcare center for families over that time. Additionally, all 27 of the before and after-school program sites in the schools were shut down, with several remaining closed today. The $16 million campaign before the pandemic grew to $23 million due to the rising cost of materials, creating a gap in funding that became too difficult to overcome after several years of continued fundraising.  A handful of our staff, only 8 of the 260, remained working to keep the YMCA open and viable during the closure. After we were allowed to reopen, we gradually brought staff back to meet the needs of members who were slow to return. Members have returned slowly but steadily over the past four years. However, we are not yet at pre-covid numbers. We are working hard to continue our recovery.

We are extremely thankful to the many local community businesses and foundations for your long-time support of the Y, and this project, which remains a dream of ours that we will not give up.  Our members and staff are the lifeblood of our organization, not buildings. After many discussions with professional developers, advisors, representatives from the YUSA, NYS Alliance, and stakeholders, the Board feels strongly that it is our fiduciary duty to protect the long-term viability of the YMCA. We have a responsibility to protect the many community investments in the best possible way, which includes, in this case, not extending our financial capabilities with this project, putting the YMCA in jeopardy of future failure.

In discussions with our developer partner, who has worked with hundreds of YMCAs around the country and who has assisted YMCAs with this very issue, we found that significant upgrades to our existing facility could be invested in, which are currently being explored. We are currently working with our developer on assessing our existing facility, which recommendations will follow in terms of identifying opportunities for growth, potential facility alterations, reimagining underperforming spaces, and decreasing operating costs, which will allow us to increase our efforts in mission impact. The YMCA has been serving the Rome community for 152 years and is one of the oldest businesses in the Rome community and the United States. It is a staple in our region, serving tens of thousands of children, adults, and families in that timeframe. Through this decision, the Board wants to ensure that those vital resources will continue long into the future.

We hope you understand that after five long years of very hard work and dedication to this effort, this decision does not come lightly.  To a person, all the members of our board and staff are steadfast in our mission to put the Y above our own thoughts and feelings by doing what is right for the organization.

We will need your input, help, and support. There is now renewed energy around our current building to invest in it. It has incredible space (54,000 square feet) and is structurally sound. However, it needs many updates, refurbishing, new equipment, parking, and more.

We would like your help in generating ideas for improvement and will set up systems for you to provide input within the next few weeks. These focus groups will help us craft the best possible YMCA for our members and the community for years to come- with the support of dedicated staff like you. If you should have any questions, please feel free to ask. We will put FAQs on our website to provide regular updates and provide additional information in the coming weeks at our regular branch meetings. We truly appreciate your understanding and, hopefully, your support as we redirect our efforts to this new opportunity. Thank you in advance for your loyalty and patronage to this amazing organization.

Sincerely,

YMCA Board of Directors

John Elberson, CVO

Karim Madmoune

Dean Shlotzhauer

Mike DeBottis

Brett Findlay

Leslie Taylor

Dan Eddy

Anna Hood

Todd Marshall