RHINELANDER – Oneida County and the YMCA of the Northwoods are closing in on a deal to swap land to enable construction of a new 15,000-square-foot county Senior Center on the east side of the YMCA campus.

            The Oneida County Department on Aging Building Committee met Monday, Feb. 8, to discuss site options and voted unanimously to approve a motion to acquire approximately 2 to 2 ½ acres of land on the northeast portion of the YMCA’s property in exchange for a similar amount of lakefront property the county owns behind the Law Enforcement Center.

            In doing so, the committee scrapped two other site options including leasing land from the YMCA on the south side of the campus that it decided was too small for a structure and parking lot, as well as buying land elsewhere to build a new facility.

            The tentative plan still has a few hurdles before it becomes reality including approval by the Oneida County Board of Supervisors at its March 16 meeting, and separate review and action by the county Building and Grounds Committee.

            The ad hoc Oneida County Department on Aging Building Committee is under a county-imposed June 15 deadline to complete its three-year study and search for a new location for the senior center, which would replace an outdated 50-year-old building on Thayer Street across town at the entrance of Hodag Park.

            In discussing the advantages of locating next to the YMCA, county officials listed  them as:

·        The YMCA offers the lowest price option for the county to acquire suitable land to build.

·        The YMCA has a similar philosophy as the Department of Aging of offering programs that promote positive healthy aging.

·        The YMCA has a large membership base of older adults and adult children who could have easier access to the many services the OCDOA provides.

·        In good proximity to locations older adults frequent (both medical clinics, physical therapy, Wal-Mart, Social Security.

·        Good visibility from the bypass would increase awareness/use of OCDOA including a sign with digital messaging capabilities.

·        The county would have the option of saving money in construction if a memorandum of understanding allowed share use of some spaces in both buildings (parking lot, Generations Center, kitchen, etc.)

On the other side of the argument, cons included:

·        Concerns that a county government department (OCDOA) must be kept totally separate from a non-profit (YMCA).

·        Some older adults may perceive that location near/with the YMCA that a Y membership would be required to access OCDOA services.

·        Some older adults still perceive the bypass to be “out of town.”

·        It is not within normal walking distance to any residential area.

·        Much more complicated regarding drafting agreements that address land, parking arrangement, building use, etc., than if the county purchased property for a stand alone facility.

Committee member and Oneida County Board Chairman Andrew Smith initially argued for the leasing option, under which the YMCA offered to lease land to the county for $1 a year for 75 years, calling it an “intriguing” proposition.

However, committee chairman Gary Baier and Corporation Counsel Brian Desmond and others were less enthusiastic about leasing and favored a land swap instead citing more control and flexibility if the project were to move forward.

“I still the like idea of doing the land swap because I think it would be advantageous for the YMCA as well to have some type of trail system back into that area,” said Baier.

Committee member Ted Cushing said, “The whole package presents some unique opportunities for the county and the YMCA.”

            YMCA of the Northwoods executive director Chris Francis told the panel the Y’s board of directors also likely would embrace the land exchange proposal with the county because it would improve access by its members to county-owned nature trails.

            County Department of Aging Director Dianne Jacobson told the committee her department had partnered with the Y on previous occasions including the Senior Olympics and Senior Health and Fitness Day. “We partner with many organizations and certainly the Y was one of those in the past, and if we were a direct neighbor we could see those relationships enhanced,” she said.

            Jacobson said she also wanted to dispel the notion that the YMCA of the Northwoods, which will celebrate its Rhinelander building’s sixth anniversary this May, is in financial trouble. She handed out an information sheet that said the Y’s budget has been in the black for the past two budget years, and the Northwoods Y is ranked in the top 5% of YMCA’s in the nation for customer satisfaction. She also noted the YMCA of the Northwoods reported 5,212 members during its last fiscal year, up 7% from the previous year.

            Although far from the bricks-and-mortar stage, the proposed new Senior Center would cover about 15,000 square feet and could be attached to the YMCA in some way but that hasn’t be decided yet.

            Financing also remains unsettled although $750,000 has been set aside by the county and YMCA, including a $100,000 anonymous private donation that is due to expire in July if no action is taken, toward the approximately $2.5 million construction project.

            The motion approved at Monday’s meeting calls for more details and schematics before proceeding to requests for proposals including the hiring of an architect, subject to the OK of the permanent Building and Grounds committee, which would take over for the ad hoc panel at some point and take final plans to the full County Board. The county Department of Aging Building Committee has scheduled meetings for Feb. 22 and March 8. The Oneida County Board of Supervisors will hold its regular monthly meeting March 16.

            Last month, the panel ruled out the vacant UBC building on Stevens Street from contention, as well as the former Chrysler dealership on Highway 17 – among more than 20 sites toured for possible locations but found unsuitable for a variety of reasons.

            The current Oneida Senior Center, located at 1103 Thayer St. covers 6,000 square feet and was last remodeled 22 years ago.