HOLLY HILL — The brand new Pictona pickleball complex that opened right here in July is now seeking to increase by providing to take over administration of the Holly Hill YMCA throughout the road.
Pictona founders Rainer and Julie Martens latest approached Holly Hill metropolis officers with a suggestion to imagine administration tasks of the city-owned YMCA facility at 1046 Daytona Ave.
The Ormond Seaside couple are additionally providing to contribute as much as $1 million to enhance and increase the previous Nineteen Nineties-built Holly Hill Group Recreation Heart. It will grow to be an extension of the Pictona complicated on to the west on the opposite aspect of Ridgewood Avenue.
“Individuals would be capable of be members of both or each Pictona and what we’re tentatively calling the Holly Hill Exercise Heart (Holly Hill YMCA facility),” mentioned Rainer Martens. “It is nonetheless very a lot within the dialogue stage, however we see a chance.”
A mission of wellness and bodily health
Martens and his spouse are the founders and former homeowners of Human Kinetics, an Illinois-based writer of sports activities textbooks and how-to guides.
“The lifelong mission of Julie and myself is to encourage wellness and bodily health. We expect Pictona and the Holly Hill Exercise Heart would match collectively properly to grow to be a big neighborhood heart,” he mentioned.
Martens mentioned he and his spouse wish to maintain membership charges on the could be former YMCA facility inexpensive whereas injecting new life by growing its program choices and by renovating and probably increasing the constructing.
“We actually wish to make it a vibrant place, a enjoyable place,” he mentioned.
“Whereas the YMCA has numerous members, the precise utilization once I’ve visited seems to be very minimal,” he mentioned. “We expect it may use extra power put into it like what we have finished with Pictona. We would like folks to not solely be members, however to usually make the most of the services.”
The so-called Holly Hill Exercise Heart beneath Pictona’s administration would retain the companies and applications which might be profitable on the Holly Hill YMCA whereas including new actions and group health lessons. The outside swimming pool is presently unheated and solely open from April by September. Martens mentioned he and his spouse are in talks with town about probably changing it to a heated pool that might be open all 12 months lengthy.
The Holly Hill YMCA presently presents an indoor basketball/volleyball court docket in addition to a wellness heart with exercise tools, a spin class room and a multi-purpose room. It additionally has separate males’s and ladies’s bathe/locker rooms and two outside tennis courts.
Do you know there was a tunnel beneath U.S. 1?
The Martens invested greater than $4 million to construct the 24-court Pictona at Holly Hill pickleball complicated at 1060 Ridgewood Ave. The pickleball membership has seen its membership ranks develop to greater than 570 within the six months because it opened.
The town contributed $1.3 million to the price of constructing the $6.2 million Pictona complicated. The mission additionally obtained a $400,000 ECHO grant from Volusia County in addition to donations from particular person contributors.
The 2 health services might be related by an already present pedestrian tunnel beneath the busy Ridgewood/US 1 thoroughfare.
The tunnel was constructed a number of a long time in the past to permit kids to stroll safely between outdated Holly Hill Elementary Faculty the place the YMCA now stands and town’s Hollyland Park the place Pictona is now situated.
The varsity closed and was torn down within the Nineteen Nineties to make manner for development of the Holly Hill Group Recreation Heart. The tunnel has been closed for at the very least 30 years and would wish in depth renovations to grow to be usable once more in addition to compliant with People with Disabilities Act tips, mentioned Holly Hill Metropolis Supervisor Joe Forte.
“Proper now reopening the tunnel is extra of a dream than a actuality. It is one thing we’ll discover,” mentioned Forte.
The Holly Hill Metropolis Fee is predicted to vote on whether or not to just accept the Martens’ proposal at its assembly on Jan. 12.
Holly Hill Mayor Chris Through mentioned he appears ahead to studying extra concerning the Martens’ proposal. “I’m all the time open to concepts on increasing applications for our residents, particularly recreation and health for all age ranges. I am excited to see how we will increase our leisure alternatives for our neighborhood together with the assistance of the Martens who wish to make one other main contribution to assist make this a actuality.”
The Volusia Flagler Household YMCA has been working the previous Holly Hill Group Recreation Heart since early 2010. The rec heart was beforehand run by town.
YMCA supported by metropolis of Holly Hill
The YMCA struggled at first ensuing within the nonprofit group sending town a letter in November 2012 that warned the Holly Hill facility might be pressured to shut as a result of it could not afford to maintain working it.
The town agreed to permit the YMCA to make use of the constructing without spending a dime and to supply a $45,000 subsidy that allowed the power to proceed working by the top of 2013.
That settlement with the YMCA nonetheless stays in impact in the present day with town persevering with to supply an annual subsidy of $45,000, mentioned Forte.
Chris Seilkop, CEO of the Volusia Flagler Household YMCA, mentioned the Holly Hill YMCA has seen its membership ranks steadily develop since 2013 to greater than 800 in the present day. “I might say it is holding its personal by the pandemic,” he mentioned.
Membership charges on the Holly Hill YMCA are $10 a month for Holly Hill residents and $29.99 a month for non-residents.
Just like the Holly Hill YMCA, Pictona operates as a nonprofit group.
The Holly Hill YMCA presently employs 10 part-time staff and one full-time staffer. “When Pictona is in place to supply administration companies to this exercise heart, they wish to interview and take into account all (Holly Hill YMCA) instructors and employees,” wrote Forte in a Dec. 9 electronic mail to all Holly Hill YMCA members and employees.
“The Metropolis of Holly Hill is planning to proceed offering high quality applications and companies now provided on the facility and so as to add a number of extra thrilling applications,” Forte wrote. “All the present members will probably be invited to maneuver their membership from the YMCA to the Holly Hill Health membership (beneath the administration of Pictona). The (Pictona) administration crew is (additionally) engaged on agreements with third-party funds for these members whose membership is paid by their insurance coverage supplier, Silver Sneakers or some other third-party supplier.”
“I’m trying ahead to the nice alternatives this relationship will deliver to all of us.”
And now Pictona will get a pool
Charlie Lydecker, board chairman for the Volusia Flagler Household YMCA, mentioned he could be “disillusioned for the YMCA” to lose the Holly Hill location, however mentioned, “I am completely happy for Holly Hill if this seems to be a house run for them. It wasn’t a struggling location for us. It has been an exquisite location, but it surely seems like they (town) simply bought a giant donation (provide by the Martens) that is too good to show down. The YMCA has a implausible relationship with Joe Forte and the Metropolis of Holly Hill. Metropolis Commissioner John Penny was on our board till not too long ago.”
Forte and Martens each mentioned that talks are nonetheless within the preliminary stage and that particulars have but to be absolutely labored out.
If the Metropolis Fee votes to just accept the Martens’ provide, the Volusia Flagler Household YMCA could be given a 180-day discover of termination of its settlement with town. The ability could be renamed, however the official new title has not but been determined.
Martens mentioned if the deal to switch administration of the Holly Hill YMCA to Pictona is authorised, he hoped one thing might be labored out to permit that transition to occur earlier than six months.
Martens in an electronic mail e-newsletter to Pictona members despatched out on Dec. 16 wrote about the potential for taking up the Holly Hill YMCA.
“Lots of you mentioned to me, ‘the one factor lacking from Pictona is a swimming pool.” Look ahead to extra particulars about Pictona assuming the administration of the YMCA constructing situated straight throughout Ridgewood Avenue, which is owned by the Metropolis of Holly Hill, to create the Pictona Exercise Heart (PAC).”
Martens mentioned he and Julie are providing to make a private donation through their Martens Charities that may go in direction of renovating and increasing the exercise heart.
Administration of the power could be turned over to Pictona and initially could be personally supervised by Martens and his spouse, he mentioned.
Pictona hosted its first pickleball event in October, a three-day occasion that drew 650 gamers from a number of states. It’s set to host two extra in 2021: the Worldwide Federation of Pickleball’s fourth annual Bainbridge Cup event April 7-11 and the USA Pickleball Affiliation’s four-day Atlantic South Regional Match within the fall.
The Pictona complicated additionally presents services for different leisure sports activities together with desk tennis, croquet, shuffleboard, horse sneakers and bocce ball. As well as, it has a senior exercise heart that provides lessons and an in-house restaurant referred to as The Kitchen. Each the senior exercise heart and restaurant are open to most of the people. The Pictona complicated additionally has a neighborhood backyard.
ALSO READ: Pictona generates national buzz
