Cost of YMCA Summer Camp Called Into Question

During a presentation before Hellertown Borough Council Oct. 17, Bethlehem YMCA Senior Program Director Andrea Goff made every effort to explain the value of the Y's annual summer day camp program to local children.

But several council members--while expressing support for the 10-week camp held at --questioned the cost of the program in terms of unseen subsidies by the borough.

In 2011, the YMCA paid the borough $500 to rent the park's pavilion for 10 weeks, in addition to $480 for pool passes for campers plus a $50 deposit.

Goff, who oversees the program, said that this year an average of 25 out of 35 campers each week were kids from the Saucon Valley, many of whom were returning campers. And several local campers received scholarships so they could attend this year, she said.

Quoting a letter she received from the mother of a Hellertown boy who attended the camp on a 2011 scholarship, Goff said the boy's enthusiasm for camp each day was "amazing."

A mother whose daughter also attended on a scholarship told Goff that the camp and the financial support she received from the YMCA "really helped me give her a fun summer."

"This program has really become an asset to us...as well as to the children of your community and your families," Goff emphasized.

Next year, she said, the Y hopes to return to Dimmick Park for a 9-week program that will run from mid-June to mid-August.

Whether or not that will happen, however, was called into question after borough council president Phil Weber said the borough had done a cost analysis of the hosting arrangement it currently maintains with the YMCA.

"We're not covering our cost, for what we're charging them," he said.

Borough Manager Cathy Kichline explained that many of the associated costs that were part of the analysis are not "specific to the Y," but still impacted the borough's bottom line and its ability to provide for the community at large.

The tangential costs associated with hosting the camp include everything from lifeguard salaries to the cost of paper products to the cost of emptying garbage more often at the park, she said.

Councilwoman Gail Nolf, however, questioned the cost analysis that had been done.

"You don't even know what the costs are," she said.

She told council that the YMCA is an organization that cannot afford to pay the borough fully for all costs associated with its use of the park and pool.

"Five hundred dollars does make a dent in their budget," Nolf said.

When asked if she had considered raising the weekly camp enrollment fee next year, Goff explained that she is currently working on a budget.

She added that she is hesitant to raise the fee, since it was increased $5 in 2011.

Following council's discussion, a motion to keep the user fees the YMCA pays the borough the same as they were this year failed by a vote of 4-3.

Nolf, council vice president John Bate and councilman Mike McKenna voted to keep the fees the same.

Weber then suggested that Goff and Kichline meet to discuss user fees, with Nolf requesting that Public Works Director Tom Henshaw be included in the discussion.

Weber also invited Goff to return to continue the discussion about use fees at council's next meeting, which will be held Nov. 7 at 7pm.