EDITORIAL
By Ruth Luse
We join the Hopewell Valley YMCA, the Hopewell Valley Senior Advisory Board, the Hopewell Valley Municipal Alliance, Hopewell Cares and various local municipal officials in their enthusiasm about the fact that the local Y finally could be getting a home of it own.
We can’t remember now how long it’s been since the Y began planning for a local facility, hoping against hope that land for such a building might become available at an affordable cost.
It seems, at least for now, that the Valley may have Capital Health System (CHS) to thank in the future if the "agreement in concept" announced last week comes to fruition. If it does, that means CHS would have taken ownership of Merrill Lynch property off Scotch Road for the purpose of erecting a hospital and CHS would have sold its 13-acre West Franklin Avenue property to the Y under terms favorable to the YMCA. The vacant tract is in northwestern Pennington, near the Straube Center and Pennington Point.
There are a lot of ifs here and several hurdles over which to leap for CHS. It must first get the many OKs it will need to build the hospital and then work out details with the Valley YMCA, which currently serves about 3,000 people a year.
CHS cleared one hurdle this week when state Department of Health and Senior Services Commissioner Fred M. Jacobs formally approved CHS’ application to change the location of its new hospital to Hopewell Township.
If all else goes according to plan, Hopewell Valley could get its first recreation center, very close to its geographic center. The proposed $10 million to $12 million facility could feature an indoor swimming pool, wellness center with workout equipment, a field house for basketball and lacrosse and other indoor sports, teen center and arts center with space for music lessons and performances by up to 40 musicians.
And what’s more, Valley senior citizens finally could have a place to call their own, too. Although part of the proposed facility, the senior center would be an independent unit with its own entrance. We are pleased the seniors have seen fit to become part of the overall effort. Originally, they really wanted a center all their own.
Stressing last week that plans are indeed conceptual, YMCA President and CEO Anne Thornton said, "We want to obtain as much input as we can from the community on what they’d like to have at a center like this." So if Valley residents have ideas they should consider sharing them with the Y over the months to come.
According to Al Mahazehe, president and CEO of Capital Health Systems, his people were aware of the YMCA survey of Valley residents that said more recreational facilities were a top priority. He said, "We could think of no better way" to get involved with the community "than by supporting this important priority of its (Valley) residents."
If the powers-that-be eventually give their OKs to the building of a hospital in our community, one of the greatest byproducts could be a home for the Valley’s YMCA. As Phil Ludeke, a Y board member and a founder of Hopewell Cares, said last week: "I think this is a great opportunity for the entire Valley … for teens, for people of all ages."
We wholeheartedly agree.

