Catoosa County rejects YMCA, Rock Fitness Center proposals
Nov 10, 2009 | 2254 views | 8 
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Rodney Waters
The YMCA has been discussing plans with the county since the summer to build a facility on the Benton Place campus. Their proposal included requesting funds from the county and having the county provide for a parking lot and lighting.
Rodney Waters, who owns The Rock Fitness Center, said he could provide the same services without requesting funding or services from the county.
After meeting in executive session for nearly 1½ hours Tuesday night, commissioner Ken Marks made the motion to reject both proposals due to the “economic times.”
“They’re both fine proposals, but I don’t think at this time the county’s economy is in shape to fund any fitness centers,” Marks said.
Board of Commissioners chairman Keith Greene added that because the county has just ended furloughs for its employees, the county is “not in a position” to work out a contract or give any funding.
Last week it was announced that the county saw a “complete reversal” of the improving economic trend it had been seeing for the last few months, with sales tax revenue down to its lowest point in two years.
Green said the county will reconsider the proposals, based on the improvement of the economy, in six to eight months. He said the most important aspect of having the YMCA or The Rock providing certain services for the county was “an improved quality of life.”
“This is something we really want to have in the county, whether it be the YMCA or The Rock,” Marks said. “But it’s a matter of funding.”
Rodney Waters, who owns The Rock, said he supports the county’s decision and doesn’t have any “hard feelings” because it’s a “financing issue”.
“It’s not a problem,” Waters said.
Randy Brown, president of YMCA of Chattanooga, said the decision was “very disappointing.”
“We didn’t expect this,” Brown said. “I thought we had the perfect partnership in mind.”
Brown said, however, that he understands the county’s position.
“They’re looking at their finances and we’re looking at our finances,” Brown said. “We both have limited re-sources.”
Brown said he “wasn’t sure” if the YMCA will make another proposal in six to eight months. He said because the YMCA of Chattanooga has eight other facilities to maintain, decisions for one facility can affect all facilities finan-cially.
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We learned everything we need to know about the Y's agenda when they tried to play Walker County off against Catoosa a couple of years ago in order to coerce money and property out of the commission for this boondoggle. Also ,several "partners" have joined in this long running saga ,only to drop out when it became obvious that the Y is lookiing out for the Y and no one else.
We already have a Y facility here. It stinks. If this is what they call serving the public , I wouldn't trust them with a nickel of my tax money.
The bottom line is, a YMCA would be a far superior complex and it would actually give back to the community...in more ways than one. Sure the Rock has a nice new, shiny building with fairly new equipment but frankly the Rock is kind of a joke. Their cardio machines are always full in the evenings and they charge you $.50 to "rent" a towel if you forget to bring one. I understand why they want folks to have a towel, but charging .50 to rent one is just plain dumb. I've been a member at both a YMCA and the Rock and in my humble opinion there is no comparison. The Y was better organized, cleaner and had a much friendlier staff.
What I don't understand is why our commissioners cannot seem to see the "big-picture." Once a new Y is built, it would attract more businesses/restaurants to come to the area. The county would definitely benefit in the long-run but I guess we'll just have to live with the good 'ole small-town politics as usual.
The Rock obviously doesn't want the Y to grow because the owner will have to work harder. He was up at arms about the Y expanding, but I believe the Rock was built just three short years ago. If the math is correct, the Y has been in the area for over 20 years. Did the Y complain and threaten to sue when the Rock was built? I don't believe they did. Did the Rock take away some of the YMCA members? Without a doubt. Sounds like the Rock can't play on both sides of the ball.
It's ironic that the folks believe the guy who talks about his facility being accessible to those who are disabled, yet makes the decision to park his car in the handicap space everyday.
It also seems that we do not know the definition of the words "non-profit". Non-profit doesn't mean services are free. It means that any dollars that are left after all bills are paid stay within the organization. These dollars cannot go to individuals or for bonuses to the "people at the top of the food chain", they go to continue to operate and expand the business.
Right now, any profits from the Rock have the ability to go directly into already deep pockets.
Nobody complained when the same land was designated to be given to the college to build there. However, when it proposed to be given to a group like the YMCA, you get this unique response from the community.
It's a sad day when our worst enemy becomes a Christian organization--and especially when citizens become against something that they really have little understanding of in the first place.
Many times I have gone to the trouble of getting
up early to have my arthritis exercises in the pool,only to find that it is not clean,
has not been inspected for what has occurred the night before, such a infant feces in the water, then to have to get undressed again and go back home.
And yes, I did report this at the front desk. I used less than 1/3 of my 2 yr contract.
The YMCA would be great- If they would come in on their own dime. It never made sense to me to take land that is owned by everyone and hand it to an organization that is accountable only to itself. Now if they wanted to purchase the property (hopefully at a profit to the county) - I'm all for that. But their proposal is about 10 years behind the curve of events in Catoosa County. In 1999 , we didn't have a couple of new exercise /workout facilities like we do now. There was a real shortage of recreation fields and public parks to enjoy. Flash forward to today-the Mattox complex on Pine Grove Road is a showpiece . I have a hard time believing that they could provide services that are not already in existence.
One other thing that sticks in my craw- The Y itself may be non profit , but the people at the top of their food chain make GOOD money. Big money. I used to be a member of the Y in Chattanooga , and I know this first hand.The service was so bad that I dropped it. The employees there were so surly and curt that it was a relief to go somewhere else.