An assessment showed many leaders felt the community needs

a YMCA.
By Gail Geraghty
Staff Writer

NORWAY – Supporters of a YMCA center are eyeing the C.B. Cummings & Sons Co. property in downtown Norway as a possible location.

Brett Doney, chief executive officer of the Growth Council of Oxford Hills and a member of the board of directors of the YMCA Community Recreation Center Committee, said an application for a $100,000 grant to survey the defunct dowel mill is being submitted Oct. 28 to the federal Rural Community Development Initiative Program.

He said part of the money would be dedicated to exploring the feasibility of locating a YMCA multipurpose recreation center on the 4.5 acre property.

If one was developed there, probably most of the buildings would need to be torn down. The buildable land would also be impacted by the need for required setbacks from Pennesseewassee Stream. Some of the land is located on a floodplain.

“It may not end up being great for it,” Doney said, but he emphasized that town leaders want to explore all possible ideas and follow the wishes of the community.

A needs assessment done by the committee showed that 86 percent of 50 community leaders surveyed felt the greater Oxford Hills community needs a YMCA. Nearly half believe the area could support the $7 million fund-raising effort to build the center.

Most of the YMCA centers that have been built around the country are generally located on larger parcels, Doney said. But he said a big plus with the Cummings site is that the YMCA would be within walking distance of Norway villagers and several SAD 17 schools.

ggeraghty@sunjournal.com

Copy the Story Link