Progress Being Made In YMCA Planned Move To Chelan PUD Campus

Plans for the Wenatchee Valley YMCA to take over a portion of the office campus being vacated by Chelan County PUD are moving ahead. 

PUD staff presented an outline this week of an agreement the utility and the Y are working toward. They'll present a purchase and sale agreement to PUD commissioners in the coming months.

Wenatchee Valley YMCA CEO Dorry Foster says the Y plans to establish itself as a centerpiece on the campus. 

“Our goal is to present and create a vibrant community hub, basically, that respects our collective legacies for the next 100 years," said Foster.  

The Y plans to occupy 85,000 square feet in the office complex at Wenatchee Avenue and 5th Street once the PUD moves to its new headquarters in Olds Station. 

Foster told PUD commissioners that schematic designs are being developed for the YMCA's building, with plans to present those designs to donors and YMCA members in July or August. The YMCA has raised $10 million for the project after a recent $900,000 private donation.

The nonprofit plans to demolish an existing PUD warehouse, office and shop sometime in the spring of next year, and prepare the land for construction. 

Chelan PUD Commissioner Garry Arseneault says there's a lot of support for the YMCA's plans at the space.  

"I think we're all excited to see the progress that's been made, and to know that the YMCA will be finding a new home here on our campus," said Arseneault. "(It's) a great use of the land that exists here, and I think it's a good use of the YMCA's resources." 

The PUD intends to take responsibility for relocating water, stormwater, and electrical infrastructure to enable redevelopment of the entire site, including the future YMCA facility.  

The PUD will also construct an internal roadway and sidewalk inside the 7.5-acre campus. 

The utility and the Y have been meeting on a bi-weekly basis to negotiate terms of the YMCA's move to the campus. 

The appraised value of the the 85,000 square-foot space the Y plans to occupy is estimated at $1.49 million.  

Under the proposal, Chelan PUD will offer a $1.09 million credit to the Y for demolition and site preparation costs.  

After the credit, The Y would end up paying $400,000 for the property.  

The PUD is also in negotiations with Music Theatre of Wenatchee, which is interested in the PUD’s Fish & Wildlife building adjacent to the Riverside Playhouse building on the west side of the campus. 

A release from the PUD says negotiations with the YMCA and Music Theatre are in line with public perception of what purpose the campus should serve in the future. 

The PUD abandoned plans for a developer to renovate the 5th Street campus late last year after determining the proposals from developers were too adventurous, vague and financially risky.