$1.5-Million Sunland-Tujunga YMCA in Peril, Proponents Say

Proponents of a plan to build a YMCA in Sunland-Tujunga, who lobbied for 10 years before geting final government approval for the project, still have not cleared their last hurdle--raising enough money to build the recreational and community center.

The proponents are $270,000 short of the amount needed to build the facility, and are trying to raise $125,000 of that by the end of the month, according to Gladys Anderson, an accountant who has worked on the proposal since its inception.

If that money is not raised, YMCA officials will reevaluate the project, she said. Dennis Croxen, a YMCA official who has been working with Anderson, said possibilities then would include delaying construction, now scheduled to begin this year, or even canceling the project, although that is unlikely.

“A YMCA would really help the direction of this town, and it would be a real tragedy if it didn’t come to fruition,” Anderson said Wednesday. “To be this close but still far away is so sad.”

The cost of the project is estimated at $1.5 million, and about $1.2 million in federal grants and private contributions were committed by last year.

Anderson said she and other planners believe that if they raise another $100,000 to $125,000 in pledges, they could borrow the remainder, up to $200,000. But since late January, they have only been able to raise $30,000, she said.

The $125,000 would cover the cost of enclosing a pool at the YMCA. Without an enclosed pool, Anderson said, the facility might not attract enough people to make it viable.

“We’ve figured out that if we had the pool, we could comfortably pay back the $200,000 with money we got from the center,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Community Development Department is moving ahead with plans for the YMCA, administering a $1,167,000 grant for the project from the federal Housing and Urban Development Department.

The Community Development Department approved the project 10 years ago, but temporarily reversed itself last year. Department officials withdrew their approval because of concern that the YMCA would not benefit primarily low- to middle-income people, a requirement to qualify for federal funds.

But Anderson and other planners promised to sponsor an ambitious marketing program to attract lower-income patrons.

Anderson said Wednesday that she fears that some businesses may be reluctant to contribute because of the uneven progress of the center.

“They may be a little gun-shy,” she said.