The word “community” suggests a shared purpose, a shared meaning or approach; literally, a common unity. The meaning and the concept of community is being tested in Sylvania and Sylvania Township by Issue 11 on the November 2 ballot.
Issue 11 defined
The ballot issue asks voters to vote in favor of a tax increase ($91 per $100,000 of home value) to pay for a multi-purpose Community Center that, by all accounts, is an attractive and enticing opportunity. The facility will feature indoor basketball and sports courts, a competitive layout for swimming and a family fun pool, meeting rooms and community gathering spaces and direct access to the University Parks Trail. The cost for construction of the Center, $60 million, would be covered by an increase in property taxes which voters are being asked to approve.
Sylvania JCC/YMCA , Sylvania Area Joint Recreation District and the needs of the Community
The Sylvania area has been served by the JCC since the mid 1970s. The Sylvania JCC merged with the YMCA, forming the YMCA/JCC in 2005, and since that time, the YMCA has managed the Sylvania facility, along with managing other Toledo area centers, including Bowman Park, Maumee, and Oregon.
The Issue 11 vote concerning the new proposed Community Center has drawn comments from the YMCA. While there is no disagreement that expanded opportunities including the court and pool access and gathering spaces are needed by the community, the disagreement has come from where those opportunities/ facilities should be placed, how it should be paid for, and what entity should have management authority.
The proposed Center, which will be built contingent on the passage of Issue 11, would be managed by The Sylvania Area Joint Recreation District (SAJRD) a governmental entity with taxing authority and the parent organization with management and maintenance agreements with Sylvania Recreation Corp. (Sylvania Rec)— a 501(c)(3) entity which manages programs at and maintains Pacesetter Park, Centennial Terrace, Veteran’s Memorial Park, Plummer Pool and other facilities— and Tam O’Shanter Sports, Inc., a not for profit corporation that manages the Tam O’Shanter facility.
Despite attempts early in the process to find a workable solution with SAJRD and the YMCA jointly collaborating on the needed project, no agreement could be reached due, it seems, to differences in opinion on the scope of the project (SAJRD proposed a $60M new facility with the latest developments in community recreation while the YMCA proposed a $10M upgrade and expansion to their 40+ year old facility on Sylvania Ave near McCord Rd.), the location of the project (the YMCA believes strongly that the expansion should be made to their existing facility while SAJRD has commitments and zoning approval for a site on Crossleigh Court, near the corner of King Road and Central Ave. connecting with the University Parks Trail), and the management of the completed project (the YMCA insists that any collaborative effort should be managed by the Y while SAJRD maintains that the management of the facility will be the charge of SAJRD’s Board).
Studying the issue
Brad Toft, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Toledo, shared his thoughts on whether two facilities [an expanded YMCA and the new Community Center which would occur with the passage of Issue 11] would be workable in the Sylvania community. He said that the YMCA “had a market study that indicates how that [a second recreational facility] might affect things” but that the study was proprietary and therefore the reason why the YMCA would not share the information.
When reminded that with this issue being openly discussed in the Sylvania area and the imminent vote on Issue 11 coming soon therefore making the information from the YMCA’s study timely and helpful to share, Toft indicated that “the market study [commissioned and possessed by the YMCA] deals with our [The YMCA’s] own specific business practices” and therefore he cannot reveal the findings of the YMCA study.
Toft added, “I wish I could say [what the findings of the YMCA commissioned study concerning the viability of two community centers in the Sylvania area] but I can’t.” The YMCA “doesn’t think that there should be two facilities. We [the YMCA] believe there should be cooperation and working together in order to have one facility,” again suggesting that the land space available behind the JCC/YMCA on Sylvania Ave. would be more than suitable for any type of expansion and could handle the needs of the community.
The Sylvania Area Joint Recreation District (SAJRD), in promoting a “yes” vote on Issue 11, has posted a 100 plus page feasibility study on the issue, which outlines in detail the reasons behind SAJRD’s plans for the new Community Center. Mike McMahon, Director of the Sylvania Recreation Corp, explains that the study demonstrates how, once constructed with taxpayer funding through property taxes over 28 years with a capital improvement bond, the operation of the Center would be paid through membership fees, rental revenue and private contributions.
“The entire study, though it is quite detailed, is available online to any community member to review at playsylvaniaplan.com” McMahon said, adding, “If there are any questions or the need for clarification on any issue, I urge people to contact me at my Sylvania Recreation office and I will be happy to listen and provide answers.”
Sylvania Recreation Corporation, management and maintenance arm of SAJRD
McMahon points to the feasibility study done by the Sylvania Area Joint Recreation District Board (available online at playsylvaniaplan.com) as defining the needs of the community and in support of the Issue 11 plan to construct a new facility on Crossleigh Court, connecting with the University Parks Trail, where pre-site planning and zoning approval has been accomplished.
McMahon has a masters degree in Recreation Administration from BGSU and has served as the Director of Sylvania Rec for 7 years. McMahon has worked with the organization the last 15 years, including as an assistant to the former director for 4 years. He said he sees the need for the passage of Issue 11 for the benefit of the Sylvania Area community.
Brad Toft, JCC/YMCA CEO
The YMCA, through CEO Brad Toft, points to the YMCA’s study to determine how to best accomplish an expansion to serve the Sylvania area, and the entire Northwest Ohio community. According to Toft, a study began almost 6 years ago, in 2016, to address the need for expanded facilities. The YMCA concept is that the facility would be built adjacent to the YMCA’s current location at 6465 Sylvania Avenue, to provide for the needs of the community with expansion and enhancements.
Toft has been the CEO of the Toledo Area YMCA since 2013. He moved to Toledo from a similar post in Springfield, Missouri, where he had also been the CEO of the local Y organization. During his tenure in Springfield, Toft experienced a similar community effort to raise funds to build and operate a Community Center, an effort that resulted in the building of a family center in Springfield in the mid 2000s. Toft referred to the situation in Springfield as “an example of development that hurts the community that has limited both the Y and the Family Center going forward, as there are too many facilities for that community.”
The two facilities proposed— the expansion of the current YMCA and SAJRD’s new facility— both include pools and some additional indoor space for court sports and other uses. However, the proposed new Sylvania Recreation Community Center facility would be approximately 130,000 square feet as a standalone building. The YMCA proposed expansion, while no detailed plans have been released, would be a smaller space with a smaller indoor pool.
And then there is always the money
In a conversation with Brad Toft, he explained that the $31.6M Capital Campaign that the YMCA is currently engaged in is community wide; that the Campaign encompasses all of Northwest Ohio. As of October 21, the Campaign had secured $12.8M— that is, there are commitments for that amount from people and organizations making pledges to make payments over time. All of those funds are from the private sector, and not contributions from taxes.
Toft explained the $10M Capital Campaign goal for the Sylvania facility (the JCC/YMCA on Sylvania Ave. near McCord Rd.) was close to being met, and when pressed further he said that $5M of the $12.8M raised/pledges would be allocated for improvements for the Sylvania facility. When questioned about whether the $5M number to date would be sufficient for the YMCA to move forward with their plans, Toft indicated that it would.
When Toft was asked how the ability of the YMCA to manage a Community Center (one of the points of dispute between the YMCA and SAJRD concerning management of a considered joint effort to increase recreational opportunities in the Sylvania area) was a better choice than allowing a joint YMCA/SAJRD board to have management responsibility, Toft responded, “In our opinion, and after doing this work in Toledo for more than 150 years, we have learned that typically public entities like to partner with the Y[MCA] and that most publicly funded rec centers are subsidized.”
When it was pointed out that the Sylvania Recreation Board has indicated that the operating costs of the proposed new Community Center would be self-funded with memberships and rental fees, participant fees, grants, etc, Toft replied that “this (newly proposed SAJRD Community Center) would be the first one that I (Toft) am aware of in the country.”
When pressed further about the advantages that Toft sees for management by the YMCA, or why the YMCA management capabilities would be an advantage over management of a new or expanded facility by Sylvania Recreation, he explained, “[L]like any industry there are learned areas of expertise and skill that are acquired over time and that we (the YMCA) know how to do it (manage a facility). I think our organization does good work and I cannot say anything bad about them, but we have the experience to manage these facilities.”
McMahon, the Sylvania Recreation Director, when questioned about the reality of a facility such as the one contemplated by Issue 11 could be paid for through self funding, and the limited examples of other community-based facilities across the country which do not access public funds (tax revenue) for operations, indicated that “there are several examples of self-sustaining community centers across the country outside Indianapolis at the Carmel/Clay Park District, in Olathe, Kansas and at the Elmhurst Park District outside Chicago. We (SAJRD) have done our homework and the studies that we have commissioned by expert consultants over the last 3+ years demonstrate that the self-sufficiency model is viable in Sylvania and will work very well.”
Toft and McMahon both agree that the reasons for the Issue 11 and YMCA expansion are being pushed forward simultaneously are, to some degree, coincidental. The timing is due to the needs of the Sylvania Area community for the services provided by an expanded, or new, community center. Toft added, those needs are “why we reached out, in order to partner with Sylvania Recreation on enhanced services/ facilities for the community.”
McMahon countered, “we provide recreational opportunities for the Sylvania area community through leagues and programs at Pacesetter Park, Veteran’s Memorial Park, Centennial Terrace (including the Centennial Quarry) and Tam O’ Shanter and we identified the needs of the community and the demand for a new facility and then moved forward with planning and placing Issue 11 on the ballot.”
Concerning management ability and experience to run a new Community Center, McMahon said, “we have experience managing a number of programs and facilities already and, while this [new facility] would entail increased management responsibilities, we are confident in SAJRD’s ability to manage and operate the facility.”
When Toft was asked why the YMCA had not moved forward with expansion or additional services previously over the years, he indicated that the planning for the expansion began in 2016 and went through a series of studies and due diligence, and that some of the delay was due to the Covid pandemic.
A lesson from local history; Investment supporting community growth
Sylvania has experienced rapid and remarkable population growth over the last 40 years. That growth is, in large measure, due to two factors. First, Sylvania had room to expand to the West and South, which has allowed for the construction of a myriad of subdivisions and housing developments over the last 4 decades. But the second factor which has facilitated Sylvania areas growth is the foresight and investment by the community itself.
The fact that the Sylvania Schools constructed Southview High School (which opened in 1977, supported the Sylvania area’s housing and commercial growth. Though controversial at the time in 1974, the Sylvania Board of Education, put the concept of a second high school in the District to the voters, asking for a millage in property taxes to pay for the new school. As well, redistricting (to establish the geographical locations of the homes of students who would attend the new school, etc.) and other logistics provided additional hurdles. With hindsight, the establishment of the second high school and the added real estate tax expense that accompanied it also provided a piece of the foundation for growth of the entire Sylvania area community and, as well, has provided new opportunities for four-plus decades and counting— of students with increased chances to participate on sports teams, band and orchestra, theater and other related school activities. With the influx of new population as well as the needs and increased desires of today’s adult and student sports participants, the Sylvania Area Joint Recreation District has been a stalwart in growing those opportunities tremendously.
The YMCA has been a fixture in the Sylvania area community since the late 1990’s after the merger with the JCC. The outdoor, Olympic-sized pool with an impressive diving pit, sports fields and courts, both indoor and outside, have been well utilized over the years. Now the question is being asked, ‘Is the Sylvania community of almost 60,000 citizens ready for another facility for child, family and adult recreation?’ Issue 11 will reflect the voters’ answer.
