YPSILANTI TWP., MI – Officials took a step toward luring the YMCA to the Ypsilanti Township when the Board of Trustees in December OK’d a donation of 25 acres of township-owned land to the organization.

Trustees unanimously approved a resolution of intent on Dec. 17, to donate the property at 1500 S. Huron Road, also known as the Seaver Farm Property. The township purchased the land south of Interstate 94 in 2004, according to the resolution. The space is valued at $5.4 million.

The move will allow the Ann Arbor YMCA to begin studying the feasibility of building a new community and recreational facility in Ypsilanti Township, CEO Toni Kayumi said. A capital fundraising campaign would follow if the project were deemed feasible.

But the potential project has a long way to go. Once the feasibility study determines how much must be raised to build operate the facility, the township and YMCA will set up more specific terms of agreement in a memorandum of understanding.

Washtenaw County is also contributing to the feasibility study. Parks and Recreation will provide $30,000 and the County Commission will provide $45,000 of in-kind services, according to the township’s resolution. Those services are generally considered to be help with technical expertise, said Commission Chairman Jason Morgan, D-Ann Arbor.

Kayumi said the vision for a future YMCA would be “multi-faceted.” An online survey and community meetings found that many respondents want a community gathering space, childcare options, educational opportunities and traditional recreational facilities. Officials also want to include field space – something the Ann Arbor YMCA on Washington and 3rd streets does not have.

Survey respondents also proposed mental health services, Kayumi said. A local partnership could form to provide that in the building.

“A lot of the YMCAs that are being built nowadays aren’t standalone, where it’s just that organization,” Kayumi said. “Because for us to be able to get to the root cause of some of our problems that are out there, you can’t just do Band-Aids, you just can’t do treating symptoms, you need to get to the root cause and one organization can’t do that alone.

“But if you work in partnership with other organizations, you can start to make systemic change. And that's what we’re looking for – to be at the center of community and with community.”

The county’s contribution would likely be determined after the feasibility study, Morgan said. The county could contribute to upfront costs or through operational programming, as well as helping to find private donors.

“We’ve heard from the east side that the young residents and families need more rec spaces and we’ve made that a priority of ours to support recreational opportunities on the east side,” Morgan said. “The public-private partnership – the county, parks and rec and potential private partners – is a huge opportunity as a whole.”

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2019 in photos from The Ann Arbor News