in Community YMCA decision to put project on hold
Bigger price tag a factor
in Community YMCA decision to put project on hold
BY SANDI CARPELLO
Staff Writer
Forget about ollies and grinding, plans for a skate park at the Red Bank YMCA have ground to a halt.
The Community YMCA’s $275,000 skate park project has been put on "indefinite hold," according to YMCA spokeswoman Anne Ciabatoni. "We are monitoring several developing situations," she said. "The estimated costs to build and sustain this facility from the time it was first planned to the present [have] increased exponentially. Also, there have been a number of skate parks opened in the Monmouth County area recently, she said. Those parks include a multi-million dollar facility, which is now under construction at Seven Presidents Park in Long Branch, and the Middletown Township Skate Park, which was constructed on Pulsch Street several months ago. In addition, the establishment of the YMCA’s two new branches — The Children’s Cultural Center and The Count Basie Achievement Branch — has put a hefty burden on the organization’s budget.
"These additions have created a set of demands on our organization for planning staffing, services and programming. In the case of the Children’s Cultural Center, a $2 million capital campaign was needed to complete exterior renovations, finish the interior and open the Monmouth Street facility up to the public," she said.
Other expenses, such as renovations to the interior of the Red Bank fitness facility, gym floor replacement and program expansions have contributed to the lengthy delay in work on the skate park.
The 15,000-square-foot skate park was approved as part of the Community YMCA’s Fahey Outdoor Complex in 2000 after the mayor and council passed an ordinance prohibiting roller skating, in-line skating and skateboarding from Red Bank’s streets and parks.
At that time, the YMCA received a $75,000 grant from the state’s special legislative fund, known as the "Christmas tree fund," to finance the project. The YMCA had expected to collect an additional $200,000 through fund-raising. Despite the park’s uncertain future, Ciabatoni said there is good news for roller-blading and hockey aficionados.
The YMCA’s in-line skating arena, which was completed last year, has been flourishing, fielding athletic programs such as "learn to skate" and "learn to play hockey," she said.
The YMCA still plans to add an outdoor bathroom facility and storage spaces to the existing arena.