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Mecklenburg YMCA asks county for $100,000 toward proposed Clarksville sports complex and field house
Summary
Leaders of the Mecklenburg County YMCA presented a feasibility study and asked the Board of Supervisors to consider a $100,000 county contribution as part of a multi‑phase capital campaign to build a 25‑acre sports complex and field house in Clarksville.
Tom French, president of the Mecklenburg County YMCA board, told the Mecklenburg County Board of Supervisors that the YMCA has completed a feasibility study and is seeking county partnership to build a sports complex near the Clarksville facility.
The YMCA asked the board to consider an initial $100,000 contribution as it launches a capital campaign. The proposed project is a three‑phase plan expected to take about 10 years: construction of outdoor fields, a field house that would consolidate youth sports currently run in rented spaces, and a future aquatic center. The presenters said the site under consideration is a roughly 25‑acre parcel adjacent to the current Clarksville location on Noble and Farm Road.
The YMCA leaders said the complex would include a community garden, ropes course, disc golf, beach volleyball and pickleball courts, pavilions for gatherings and an indoor walking track for seniors. Hope Boehm, director of YMCA Mecklenburg County, said the field house would remove waiting lists by bringing basketball, cheer, volleyball and other youth programs into a single, dedicated space and allow before‑and‑after‑care and expanded summer camps.
Michelle Hector, who coordinates membership, fundraising and grants for the YMCA, described the organization's 40‑year history in Mecklenburg and its current fundraising structure. The presenters said the YMCA has interviewed more than 32 community leaders during the feasibility study and expects a phased capital campaign financed through donors, town contributions, private foundations and state grants, including applications to the Virginia Tobacco Commission.
Charlie Simmons, chairman of the Clarksville Economic Development Authority, appeared and offered brief support for the YMCA presentation. County Administrator Alex Scott (as described in the meeting packet) and several supervisors encouraged the YMCA to submit a formal budget request. Alex Scott told the board that if the YMCA files a budget request, staff would consider it in the county’s recommended budget and any board commitment would be decided during the regular budget process.
No vote or budget commitment was taken at the meeting. The YMCA presenters said campaign planning and outreach will continue and asked the board to consider partnership during the next budget cycle.
The board indicated willingness to review a formal request through the budget process; supervisors asked staff to accept any written budget request from the YMCA and to route it to the Budget & Finance Committee for consideration.
