Starting in February, the Georgia Mountains YMCA will expand by taking over the operations of Lumpkin County Parks and Recreation facilities.
It will be a win-win partnership for both parties, said Mike Brown, CEO and president of the local YMCA, allowing his organization to expand its services and the county to save money. The nonprofit reached a similar agreement with White County earlier this year.
"We believe that this is the way of the future for (the YMCA)," he said. "Why build more facilities when there are under-used facilities all over the county?"
Under the agreement, the county will retain ownership of its properties but will pay the YMCA $437,000 for the first year to take over operation of its services, such as day camps, after-school programs and the maintenance of Yahoola Creek Park.
Brown said the amount the county pays will decrease by about 5 percent each year for five years as the YMCA expands services and generates revenue.
Steve Proper, the parks and recreation director, said the county will save only $5,000 this year on the deal because it has already drastically trimmed its budget.
But he expects the savings to increase over the next few years.
"(The YMCA has) resources that a small county like ours could never tap into," Proper said. "And I think the YMCA has a good proven model ... and I think all of that will fit in good here."
On Feb. 1, the six full-time and about 20 part-time parks and recreation employees will become employees of the YMCA. Brown said the nonprofit has only recommended eliminating one position.
Brown said the first six to eight months of the partnership will be spent working with the staff to improve the county's programing. But within the year, he said, they will look at expanding those programs to turn the county's recreation facility into a full-service YMCA with wellness centers, exercise classes, family initiatives, and teen and senior programing.
He said the recreation facility will be sufficient space, but when the economy improves he hopes to further expand YMCA services.
"We don't need to build as big of a Y right now. But one day when the economy is stronger, the hope would be that if people continue to bless and encourage the Y in that community that we might run a capital campaign someday and be able to expand into a larger facility."
In White County, where the YMCA officially took over in July, the nonprofit is in the process of expanding its services and adding a wellness center. It will soon start promoting memberships at about $48 per month for a family and $28 per month for an individual.
Brown said the partnership in White County has been very successful, with participation rising from about 2,800 people to 4,000 people.
"That tells us that we do a good job in managing and providing quality services, and that we're reaching out to people that were not served," he said.
The YMCA is part of an eight-county region, including Hall County. Brown said he is open to similar partnerships with the other counties in its service area, but he said no such discussions are taking place.
"In this economy, partnerships are extremely important," he said. "And the more that agencies, whether it's government, private (or) nonprofit, the more that we work together, the more benefit it will be for the community."