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2008-12-11  FORSYTH HERALD | Forsyth County moves to block Corps lease to YMCA
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December 09, 2008
FORSYTH COUNTY – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is prepared to go ahead with a lease agreement with the YMCA for the 60-acre Bethel Park announcing it would execute the agreement Dec. 12.
But Forsyth County will be in court this week to say that is putting the cart before the horse since the county's request for an injunction against the Corps' decision to lease to the Y is still under a judge's review.
The YMCA had asked for the lease agreement because it said it was necessary to lock in some in-kind donations, most notably $500,000 offer of work by the Georgia Utilities Contractors Association for the installation of underground utilities on the lakefront property.
Execution of the lease would allow the YMCA to move ahead so that it can begin to fulfill its commitment to develop a world-class children's camp and family center, said Dan Pile, Group Vice President of the YMCA of Metro Atlanta.
"Given the huge demand among local families for their children to attend YMCA camps, we hope to have the Bethel Park camp up and running by 2011 or sooner," Pile said.
This lease would also make the YMCA materially involved in the current litigation and give the nonprofit agency reason to join in and argue for the Corps' decision. Forsyth County does not want to any additional legal opposition if it does not have to, so it is opposing the issuance of the lease.
Without going into the county's legal strategy, Forsyth County Attorney Ken Garrard said it will oppose the signing of the lease.
"Signing the lease will simply complicate and make more complex the simple issue before the court," Garrard said. "With a lease in hand, the YMCA could begin asking for permits and the like. We would like to keep the issues straightforward. We believe the grant by the Corps to the YMCA was improper."
With the YMCA's 2006 announcement of plans to build a camp at Bethel Park, area residents near the site on Bethel Road organized their opposition to the park. It became a political issue that the current Forsyth Commission took up, supporting the residents.
Meanwhile, the Corps has maintained all along that it only began negotiating with the YMCA for use of the park after turned down the Corps' offer.
The Corps owns more than a dozen recreation areas around Lake Lanier and due to budget cutbacks is trying to find other organizations that will use them and carry out the recreation mandate for the properties.
The YMCA has garnered thousands of signatures for petitions supporting the camp from supporters in and out of the county.
Jeff Anderson, leader of the Coalition for a Y-Camp at Bethel Park, called commission's opposition to the camp a waste of taxpayer money.
"It's unfortunate that county leaders have chosen to spend money fighting a project that the majority of their residents support, especially during a time that county tax revenues are down and the county is faced with cutting jobs," said Anderson. "The county is bleeding red ink but it seems they would rather spend money on legal fees than protecting county workers' jobs."
Anderson pointed out that the Corps conducted a rigorous multi-year evaluation of the Y's plans for Bethel Park – even requiring the Y to conduct additional studies when the county submitted a belated plan of its own.
However, the YMCA met or exceeded all requirements put forth by the Corps and the Corps ultimately concluded that the Y's plan for a children's camp was the highest and best use of the land and benefitted the entire metro region, Anderson said.
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Reader Comments
These are our reader's opinions and thoughts.The opinions on this site are posted by our readers, and are not edited by Appen Inc.
Y will cost taxpayers money
December 16, 2008 | 11:04 AM
The proposed Y camp will do nothing to benefit most all of the residents of Forsyth county, and in fact, cost Forsyth money, both short term and long term. Whenever you take a public park and turn over to private enterprise, all residents loose. Not only will it be extremely detrimental to the entire Bethel Road area, the rest of the county will loose permanent access to a Public park, and force the ever growing number of park visitors to overburden other parks. Property values around the proposed park will decrease, lowering tax revenue, and the proposed Y camp does not meet Forsyth county zoning and health/sanitation codes. This proposed Y camp is wrong in so many ways. The majority of Forsyth county people do not belong to the Y, so why should we subsidize a development that we will not be allowed to use. Keep the park for the county so all residents, not a select few, can use it.
Another Bethel Park resident, Gainesville
The Real Truth
December 16, 2008 | 10:55 AM
The proposed Y camp will do nothing to benefit most all of the residents of Forsyth county, and in fact, cost Forsyth money, both short term and long term. The county will loose permanent access to a Public park, and force the ever growing number of park visitors to overburden other parks. Property values around the proposed park will decrease, lowering tax revenue, and the proposed Y camp does not meet Forsyth county zoning and health codes. This proposed Y camp is wrong in so many ways. The majority of Forsyth county people do not belong to the Y, so why should we subsidize a development that we cannot use. Keep the park for the county so all residents, not a select few, can use it.
Another Bethel Park resident, Gainesville
Y Lies, False Facts, and Herald Bias
December 15, 2008 | 01:52 AM
Typical Y rhetoric coming from three sources on this article alone....
Forsyth Herald:
Always reporting the "utopia" of how great a Y camp would be and never, not once, reporting about displaying over 23,000 visitors on use the park yearly much less never reporting the other side of the story. You guys do know there is always two sides to a story don't you? I care not to waste further time as the Herald is nothing more the a mouth piece for the Y.
Jeff Anderson:
To you...mind your own business and get the he** out of the business of residents of Bethel Park. If I recall Mr. Jeff... You were leading the charge when your property was being threatened by the outer perimeter and you fought tooth and nail to prevent it. Now today, you're the little peon accusing us of the "not in our backyard" mentality. You hypocrite. This is our neighborhood. This is our community. This is about preserving our homes and tranquilly just as you did. So butt out.
And finally..... Mr. Hank.
You quote…"98% support and the other 2% are nuts" You're an idiot! Did you actually do this survey all by yourself? Mr. Hank, until you can develop, in the least, something of substance. Go have a cocktail with Mr. Jeff and butt out of Bethel Park business.
Bethel Park Residents, Gainesville
Forsyth Commission wastes taxpayers money
December 12, 2008 | 07:31 AM
98% of Forsyth Residents support a world class YMCA facility for Forsyth children paid for by the YMCA and at NO TAX PAYER expense yet this commission seems more responsive to the 2% of the nuts who oppose the YMCA. It looks like the commissioners would rather not have any facility for the children of Forsyth than one paid for by the YMCA.... Go figure... This is going to court and more and more Forsyth tax-payer money is being wasted by the current commissioners. We will remember this at election time. Promise.
Hank, Cumming
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