YMCA backers protest closure

SOUTH TOLEDO - Fifteen-year-old Nickiti Koszycki is an acrobat, a gymnast, a swimmer, a ballerina and a swimming and gymnastics teacher. She said doesn’t know where she and her friends are going to continue all of their activities.

A long-time member of the South Toledo YMCA, Koszycki said if her YMCA closes, some of her friends will have to quit some of their favorite activities because getting transportation to the other YMCAs “just isn’t feasible.”

She, along with more than 50 other community members, attended a rally Tuesday evening to support South Toledo residents Mark Hertzfeld, Cooper Suter and Gary Batt’s efforts to save the YMCA before CedarCreek Church officially takes the building.

Suter said he and his fellow community members have asked numerous times for cooperation from city officials and YMCA board members but haven’t received any clear explanations for the board’s recent decision to turn the building over to CedarCreek. If he and his activists do not get an answer within the next few days, he said they are taking legal action.

“I came from a meeting with lawyers this morning and we will be meeting with lawyers soon,” Suter said. He added he will know if his group will take official legal action attentively by the end of the week.

To rally support, he and State Senator Teresa Fedor asked multiple people to start by raising signs and protesting along Anthony Wayne Trail in front of the YMCA Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 7:30 a.m. “

I would think (the board and city) would see all this support and that this is a strong community,” Fedor said. “In my opinion they really stirred up a hornet’s nest.”

Paul Schlatter, chairman of the board of trustees of the YMCA and JCC of Greater Toledo, wrote in an Aug. 16 column for Toledo Free Press, “In late July, we made a series of difficult decisions to restructure operations — the result of a sudden cut of $1.5 million in funding from the State of Ohio. Without action, the shortfall would have had an immediate and negative impact on the association’s finances. Our primary goal was to maintain all services — including our scholarship outreach and services to the central city.

“As a result of intense planning by the executive committee of the board of trustees and staff leadership in the days following passage of the state budget, the YMCA determined the operational changes that would best address its financial challenge.

“To avoid leaving the South Y building vacant for an extended period of time, the YMCA has agreed to affiliate with CedarCreek Church, which has been looking to extend its ministry in South Toledo.

“The YMCA met with and discussed the plan with employees, as well as the gymnastics and swim team members, 80 percent of whom do not live in South Toledo. Letters were sent to members and public officials, but, because of leaks to the news media, the YMCA was not able to fully execute its planned communication effort.”
 
( The Toledo Free Press is a FOX Toledo News media partner)