Roaring Spring Borough Council Cancels Recreation Contract with YMCA

Roaring Spring borough council voted Monday night to end its recreation contract with the Garver Memorial YMCA. The contract was worth about $18,000 and would have auto-renewed in January.

The matter was raised by President Rodney Green at the regular meeting Oct. 12. Green repeatedly stressed that the decision indicated that council wants to review its options for funding recreation, and was not to be taken as a criticism of the YMCA or its programs.

“The message is important that we are not being critical,” Green said. “But it is time for a different approach.”

President Green suggested that borough council consider an alternative method of funding recreation, such as choosing smaller but specific events.

He used as an example the arrangement with Hershberger Memorial Pool in Martinsburg. Under that plan, borough council pays for youth who want to take swimming lessons. The borough will pay for the lessons up to a set maximum.

Green called the plan “a la carte” and said that it might make more sense and be a better use of the borough’s limited recreation money.

“Instead of one amount, families could choose on an individual basis. So if a kid wanted to take gymnastics or soccer, we would fund that. People can make choices.”

One problem with the YMCA’s arrangement, said borough Solicitor Larry Lashinsky, is that council has never been able to get a clear and unambiguous accounting of the number of participants in programs.

“The borough has asked, but has not gotten useful information back,” Lashinsky said.

He told council that the reports sent by the YMCA in response to borough requests did not make clear how many participants there were in specific activities.

Borough council members generally agreed that outdoor recreation has changed since council members were children and it’s time for the borough’s recreation planning to change to meet the needs of the younger generation.

Borough Councilmember Sue Ann Feather made a motion to not renew the recreation contract with the YMCA. The motion was seconded by Councilman James Musselman and approved unanimously.

Councilmember Feather said that council members understood that their action would likely create a deficit in the YMCA’s budget. However, she agreed that it was time for council to look at its options.

President Green said that there will be meetings between council committees and the YMCA administration to work out a new recreation plan.

Other business

In other business, Jessica Sorge, director of the Hollidaysburg Ambulance service, told council that the ambulance service offers a variety of free public services, including re-certification classes in CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) use, babysitting and “new mom” classes.

She said that the ambulance service will also be offering free flu shots in the area. Hollidaysburg Ambulance is the backup emergency medical service for the borough, with AMED being the primary service. Sorge said that Hollidaysburg responded to 156 calls so far in 2020 in the borough.

Borough Manager Linda A. Peel told council members that she is keeping an eye on revenue from the Local Services Tax and the borough’s wage tax, both of which “are a little under what we usually collect,” likely due to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Manager Peel also told council that the borough’s share of an application for funding to repair the wall along North Main Street would be $200,000.

The borough applied for the grant as part of a project with a total cost of $919,000. The project would shift the roadway, eliminate some retaining walls and add curbing, sidewalks, guiderails and improve drainage to the road.

The balance of the project funding would come from the grant application to the Pennsylvania Dept. of Community and Economic Development’s Multimodal Transportation Fund.

Council does not have to secure funding unless the project is approved, but Peel said that council members should begin considering options.