May 14, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 Franklin Lakes Borough to lease community center to Wyckoff Y by Frank J. McMahon The Borough of Franklin Lakes has reached a lease agreement with the Wyckoff Family YMCA to provide pro- grams and operate the Franklin Lakes Recreation & Com- munity Center on Vichiconti Way. The agreement was announced by Mayor Frank Bivona at last week’s council session and the governing body endorsed the agreement, which will be embodied in an ordinance that will be introduced at the May 20 council session. The borough will lease the community center building to the YMCA for a 10-year period without requiring any lease payments over that period of time. The building will retain its current name, although there might be a subhead- ing indicating that the building is operated by the Wyckoff Family YMCA. “It was important to us not to lose our identity,” Bivona emphasized. At the end of that 10-year period, the borough will have the option of ending the lease agreement or renewing the lease at market rates. In return, the YMCA has agreed to completely renovate the existing facility and to construct an 800 square foot storage building next to the community center. Bivona said the value of the construction has been esti- mated at $925,000 and that more than compensates the borough for not collecting lease payments for 10 years. In addition, the borough will save the $50,000 per year the community center is now losing in operating costs. The agreement will allow the renovated community center, which will have fitness and wellness programs and new fitness equipment, to be open longer hours and free up rec- reation staff members from the management and mainte- nance of the building to be more dedicated to running the borough’s sports programs. “There will be no impact on the borough’s recreation programs,” Bivona said. “The Wyckoff Family YMCA will have no involvement in the borough’s recreation programs.” In addition, any field use by the YMCA, which is expected to be limited, will be subject to the same conditions that are in the borough’s ordinance for the use of fields. Existing members of the Wyckoff Family YMCA will not have access to the programs at the community center and Franklin Lakes residents will get preferred rates for membership in those YMCA programs, Bivona said. In the event that memberships in the community center reach a maximum, Franklin Lakes residents will get one year of priority and a preference after that time. In addition, com- plimentary memberships would be offered to members of the borough’s fire department and ambulance corps. Franklin Lakes Borough Administrator Gregory Hart also pointed out that day care programs will not be oper- ated by the YMCA at this community center, although there might be a place for parents to “drop off their kids” while they use the exercise room. According to Bivona, borough officials have been talk- ing to the Wyckoff Family YMCA for several years to explore ways to bring a sense of community to Franklin Lakes. He provided the history of the community center and explained that the current building has structural prob- lems that limit its use and the second floor of that building can only be used for storage. In addition, Bivona said, until recently, there has been insufficient parking for that building. Bivona also pointed out that the community center has been limited by budget constraints and has limited its hours of operation due to staffing constraints, so the center has a limited number of members and is losing money. For those reasons, the mayor said the borough has been looking for a third party to increase the array of activities at the center that would be available to residents all year long. He pointed out the current success the YMCA has had in the borough running summer camps and organizing the borough’s triathlon and marathon each year, and it pro- vides a community service for people with special needs in neighboring towns. “The Y is a non-profit organization,” Bivona said, “and its mission is to serve the residents in the community and that is a good fit for us.” In March 2010, borough residents opposed a proposal (continued on page 29)