Officials Discuss Future of Chisholm Community Center

The YMCA, now out of the Township-owned , pays their last rent check for the building in August.

Y members can honor their membership at the nearby Summit YMCA. But what happens next for the building is not yet clear.

At the most recent Township Committee meeting on Aug. 22, Committee members approved a $75,000 bond for renovations to the structure as part of a vote on capital expenses. The line item prompted a discussion of the status of the municipal property.

Committee members including Rich Huber, a construction professional, asserted that the building needed the work for upkeep and to attract new tenants. They said new tenants could agree to take on some of the bond repayment obligation if given incentive from the Township, such as a period of free rent.

The Y moved their facilities out of the building in July. Tenants have already expressed interest in moving into the building. Township Administrator Anthony Cancro said he had met with a group interested in establishing a youth learning center at the South Springfield Avenue building. The meeting had taken place earlier on the day of the meeting. Cancro said the buyer was very motivated, and offered to put up money for rent that day.

Cancro said another YMCA facility had expressed interest in the property, but had been prevented from acting on the interest by the Summit YMCA, who declined to relinquish territorial authority over the YMCA.

In previous meetings, Committee members had discussed the moving facilities and programs currently housed in the Sarah Bailey Center to Chisholm or using the facility as a township recreation center.

Until they opted to not , the YMCA paid $12,000 a month for all of Chisholm, a space that includes several exercise rooms, a basketball court, locker and shower facilities. Currently, the YMCA rents a few rooms for their childcare program.  Other rooms are used for exercise classes, including a recently launched fitness sessions by Springfield resident and trainer Paul Newell.