Some wondered if the YMCA to be located at the UA Tech Park was in question with the defeat of the November Pima County Bond. Proposition 428 that would have funded $6 million toward a comprehensive YMCA at the Park.

Speaking at UA Tech Park Neighborhood meeting on Tuesday, January 12, President and CEO of the YMCA of Southern Arizona Dane Woll told the audience of 30 community leaders there would be a YMCA at the UA Tech Park.

The YMCA corporate board, which serves over all the YMCAs in Tucson, is committed to a capital drive to raise $6 million, Woll said. With the loss of the bond funding, we have had to change our plans and will build the YMCA in three phases.

Each YMCA site has its own board and the Vail YMCA will be no different, he said. They will be instrumental in representing the needs and desires of the park employees and the residents of the greater Vail community.

The community raised $6 million will be used to build a 25,000 to 35,000 square foot building. Included in this first phase facility will be a workout room, community room, “child-watch room,” aerobic studio, locker rooms and other areas concentrating on the betterment of individual health. A search for an architect to develop a master site plan for the three phases will begin shortly, said Woll.

The YMCA aquatic center and gym will be added in future phases, said Woll as he introduced Charlie Buchanan, a Vail resident, as the Executive Director.

We are currently housing some YMCA programs such as Yoga, Zumba, and Boot Camp, said Bruce Wright, Associate Vice President of Tech Parks Arizona, of which the U of A Tech Park is a part. We are looking at turning our recreation center over to the YMCA. The center has tennis courts, a small support building, a grassed field and some other amenities.

The partnership with the UA Tech Park and the YMCA is natural. The park is one of the Nationals premier university research parks. It is a 1,345-acre campus with 40 companies such as IBM. Citi, Raytheon and United Health Group/Optum Rx calling the park home with 6,500 employees.

The partnership has provided land on Rita Road for the YMCA and for a library.

The library is also affected by the loss of the November bond election. Proposition 426 would have provided the $6 million necessary to build the library.

At the meeting Pima County Supervisor District 4 Ray Carroll announced the recently appointed Edward Buster, a Corona resident, to serve on the Pima County Library Commission.

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Anne Gibson