Once in danger of closing, the Lakewood YMCA will become a Montessori Middle School, pending final negotiations among Durham County Commissioners, school board and the YMCA of the Triangle.
Durham County will buy the 57,000-square-foot YMCA for $250,000 and transfer the property to Durham Public Schools. The renovation is estimated at $8 million.
The YMCA will lease back from the county 18,000 square feet of the property, invest an additional $800,000 in renovations and retain some existing programming. The proposed lease term is 15 years.
The Durham Board of Education is scheduled to consider the finer points of the deal at its May 22 meeting. That proposal will come back to the County Commission for approval.
"This is a truly winning situation," said Commissioner Lewis Cheek. "There was tremendous concern in the neighborhood about what would happen to it."
A year ago, the Raleigh-based YMCA of the Triangle announced plans to close the 41-year-old Lakewood branch on Chapel Hill Road in the face of declining membership and the need for extensive renovations. The Triangle YMCA was also shifting its focus to the downtown and American Tobacco branches.
A grassroots citizens group, the Committee to Save the Lakewood Y, rallied support among Durham neighborhoods and nonprofit groups to keep the branch open. It is considered an anchor of one of Durham’s inner-city neighborhoods.
Comments (1)
Showing 1-1 of 1
- To create paragraphs in your comment, type <p> at the start of a paragraph and </p> at the end of each paragraph.
- To create bold text, type <b>bolded text</b> (please note the closing tag, </b>).
- To create italicized text, type <i>italicized text</i> (please note the closing tag, </i>).
- Proper web addresses will automatically become links.
Latest in Durham County
-
Tree trivia
Do you know what a Crotch Cut is? Consult this handy trivia guide and impress your friends with your esoteric knowledge of trees and their terminology.
- Mar 20, 2013
-
Domestic violence incidence reports rise as community struggles to meet victims' needs
"Sexual violence and domestic violence are everywhere, and we as a society need to wake up."
- Mar 13, 2013
-
Number of homeless in Durham increased in past year
Moreover, the annual Point-In-Time Count "doesn't count those sleeping on someone's couch or in the woods so deep we can't find them. It doesn't count the people who have to decide between rent, heat, medicine and food."
- Feb 27, 2013
- More »
More by Lisa Sorg
-
Some facts about youth incarceration
The Annie E. Casey Foundation released a report last month that showed the number of incarcerated youth is at a 35-year low.
- Mar 6, 2013
-
Duke removes four anti-immigration groups from Fred Stanback Internship Program
Philanthropist and environmentalist Fred Stanback's internship program at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment was placing interns not just in environmental programs but also at some of the country's leading anti-immigration organizations.
- Apr 10, 2013
- More »
