By Dedra Cordle
Staff Writer
The Vaughn E. Hairston Community Center YMCA could experience a loss of many offered services in the near future.
According to Stephen Ives, the president and CEO of the YMCA of Central Ohio, the United Way recently informed the association that there will be a reduction in the allocation of funds next year.
The loss of funding could be as much as $550,000, said Ives, which would significantly impact the day-to-day operations at several branches.
On Dec. 13, Ives attended the village of Urbancrest council meeting to tell the governing body that the YMCA in their community will likely be one of the branches to see major cuts to services.
“We have to take a close look at the operations and decide what we can and cannot do.”
He said that the Vaughn E. Hairston Community Center YMCA is being eyed for restructuring because the location does not generate enough revenue.
Ives did not specify which services could be cut, but he did say that the location will continue to offer Head Start, After School care (supported by Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, or TANF) and the Positive Alternative Learning for Students (PALS) program.
He said that the association would like to continue the dialogue with council to see if there are ways to fund other programs beyond Head Start, After School care and PALS.
Members of council expressed concern by the news that there could be a loss of major services at the location. Some questioned how the facility continues to operate at a loss. An agreement between the village and the YMCA states that the village would pay for major upgrades to the facility and they will not charge rent to the YMCA to operate their facility.
Council members said they would like more time to discuss all of the issues related to this matter.
After coming out of an executive session, the council set a special meeting for Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. The meeting will be held at their municipal complex, which is located at 3492 First Ave.
