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University Place council approves YMCA partnership to restore city recreation programs
Summary
The council authorized a contract with the Pearl Street Family YMCA to run youth sports leagues and clinics using city and school district facilities, after staff described program details and council members resolved scheduling concerns with the UP Soccer Club. Council voted unanimously to authorize the manager to execute the agreement.
The University Place City Council voted unanimously April 6 to authorize the city manager to execute an agreement with the Pearl Street Family YMCA to restore city-hosted recreation programs.
Public Works Director Jack Ecklund told the council the YMCA would operate youth sports leagues and clinics using University Place Park and school district facilities under an interlocal agreement that gives University Place residents priority registration and reduced registration fees. Ecklund said the first full league is anticipated this fall, with some clinics possible as early as this summer. He also said the YMCA requested a minor clarification in the draft contract (a date change from 2028 to 2027), which staff agreed to incorporate.
The proposal drew questions from Council Member Figureroa about how the city and YMCA had coordinated with the long-standing UP Soccer Club. Ecklund said the soccer club’s chief concerns were field availability and competitive overlap; he said YMCA programming would be shifted to mitigate those concerns (for example, by placing soccer programming in the spring rather than the traditional fall season) and that staff and the YMCA committed to ongoing dialogue with the club to reduce conflicts and maintain field access.
Several council members framed the agreement as a restoration of services cut a decade earlier for budget reasons and praised staff and YMCA partners for reaching the proposal. Council Member Graci thanked the many staff and nonprofit partners involved by name, including Pearl Street YMCA leadership, the school district’s athletic director and city staff who negotiated interlocal terms.
After discussion, a council member moved to authorize the city manager to execute the agreement; the motion was seconded and approved in a roll-call vote with all present members voting yes. The council did not identify a formal mover/ seconder on the public transcript.
Implementation and next steps: staff said the city and YMCA will complete final contract edits, coordinate marketing and registration outreach with the city communications team, and present program details to the public as registration dates are set. Existing community providers, including the UP Soccer Club, will be invited to coordinate schedules and referral pathways so multiple providers can coexist.
