Will Make Possible Historic Investment In Youth Facilities & Services
On March 13th, the City, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of New Rochelle, and the New Rochelle YMCA announced an agreement that will make possible the most significant investment in youth facilities in at least a generation and which will greatly strengthen all three organizations in their efforts to deliver essential services to the children and families of our community. In its essentials, our agreement is as follows: (1) the Y will purchase the Bellantoni Center on Weyman Avenue from the City for a net price of approximately $2.0 million, and will now be better able to enhance its programming at that site; (2) the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs will consolidate their services into their Remington and Mascaro locations, with the Y agreeing to preserve memberships for children currently enrolled in the South Side Unit until they are 18 years of age; (3) the City will reinvest up to $1.0 million of the sale proceeds into capital improvements at the Remington and Mascaro units, transforming these two aging buildings into outstanding venues for youth activities and recreation; and (4) the City will retain the remaining $1.0 million for a recreational purpose yet to be determined, while also relieving taxpayers of ongoing maintenance responsibilities at the Bellantoni Center. These steps were supported unanimously by the Boards of the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs and YMCA, and received a positive vote from a majority of the City Council at our March 21st meeting.