St. Mary's County committee approves scope for YMCA feasibility study, recommends MOA with YMCA of the Chesapeake

The St. Mary's County YMCA exploratory committee on Feb. 19 approved a revised scope of work for a feasibility study and voted to recommend that the County Commissioners enter a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the YMCA of the Chesapeake to carry out that work.

The subcommittee's motion to approve an amended scope and its separate motion to recommend an MOA were approved by voice vote. Committee chair Bennett Wilson opened the discussion and led the votes. County staff said budget authority up to $75,000 is available in the capital budget to support the study.

Why it matters: The committee's actions set the consultant's terms and the county's procurement pathway for determining whether an operating YMCA or community center is feasible in St. Mary's County. The study will identify likely locations, programming needs and startup and operating costs; the committee said its decisions should inform both the capital plan and next steps for startup operations.

The subcommittee presented a one-page scope of work that lists 12 analytic tasks for phase 1 of the feasibility study. Dr. Rebecca Bridget, St. Mary's County administrator, urged the committee to require the study to "analyze the three potential locations that the YMCA exploratory committee has already identified, and then make, perhaps, recommendations for the priority" so the consultant ranks sites rather than merely listing them. The…