YMCA Director clarifies financial situation

Dear Letter to the Editor:

I would like to simply take this opportunity to clarify Susan W. Williams letter to the editor that was published in the Red Oak Express on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012.

The YMCA does pay for city water & sewer which runs $2,400 annually.  The YMCA contracts for our own snow removal from two local businesses.

The YMCA is not asking for a donation, our request to the city council was for the perform services that the YMCA provided  from March 2011 to the end of February 2012.

The  performed services included  management of the outdoor city swimming pool, checking out disc golf course equipment from the YMCA to residents that wish to enjoy the city's disc golf course at Kelley  Park, mowing the entire front yard of the Red Oak City Swimming pool, running and or coordination of year round  youth programming, providing occasional city personnel training center for public safety, working with several community organizations for social/ recreational  needs within our community,  along with scheduling  and providing necessary field care for  the Red Oak Sports Complex from March to October for various youth & adult sporting events held at the complex.

Related to the location of the YMCA, the City Council at the  time back in 1999 when construction started on the YMCA elected to deed to the YMCA the part of property where the YMCA is located at within Legion Park.

The YMCA is open to all our members, non members  may  purchase of daily pass to use the Y and the Y offers  our annual financial scholarship assistance program as “no one is denied the opportunity to participate in YMCA programs or become a Y member due to financial limitations.” The YMCA is proud to be a true asset to our community of Red Oak and to help make Red Oak "A Shade Better".

Should any resident have any question about the YMCA, please feel free to contact me at the YMCA   or call me at 623-2161 or e-mail me at execdir@mcymca.com and I would be pleased to meet with you or field your question(s).

Sincerely,

Nick Zimmer
YMCA Executive Director