Jude Boulianne was credited for sell-ing all of the 2005 summer ice time, which was noted as a considerable first-time boon for the facility.  But every day he hears from members, "When are we going to have a pool?"
The YMCA representatives, Yvonne Anderson and Anita Lancello, Vice Pres-ident of New Development, spoke of several communities where they've come to be in partnership including St. Michael-Albertville. 
Said Anita, "That city came to us and asked us if we'd put a Y in their city.  The market study came back that we could support about 2,000 memberships there, which is rather low.  The city didn't want to do any referendum to raise taxes for the facility … With all of the various moneys, we determined we can do it.  Since then the councilmembers have been voted out … They had Plan A for providing 7 acres plus $4.5 million and Plan B where they just provided the 7 acres."
The City of Andover, she said, sold revenue bonds for a lease agreement with the Y.  Approximately $9 million was provided by the city; the Y pays an amount over a 30-year lease period.  It's opening in July.
In Moundsview the city pays the Y a monthly fee.  Said Yvonne, "It's very clearly laid out what the Y is responsible for and what the city is responsible for."
The Y is also involved in some type of partnership at Woodbury, in the Youth Sports Program for Chanhassen at the Ridgedale Y, and for Edina-Richfield-Bloomington and the Southdale Y.  In Minnetonka, the Y takes care of programs for K-2 and the city does grades 3-12.
Anita mentioned that the City of Monticello subsidizes its facility with $500,000 to $700,000 per year.  They have a pool but no ice.  "Everybody wants a pool," she said, "and they are expensive to operate.  Who wouldn't want a pool?  But at the same time you have to be fis-cally responsible."
She added, "We've never taken care of ice."  In giving definition, she said the Y is a nonprofit organization where "membership is the engine that provides funding for us … We have a huge net-work of programs that we can just plop in - not with a menu to shake it and bake it.  Our goal is not to run money out of a community.  We do not want to come in here and run a health club.  We're more of a social services organization.  Social ser-vice has really been part of our mission." 
She mentioned, especially, providing programs for kids and senior citizens and giving out $250,000 each year in scholar-ships.
"We wouldn't consider yet your facil-ity a YMCA facility because it has no pool," she stated.
Councilmember Kim Roden asked about fads and trends.  "Is the fitness busi-ness like retail?"
"The industry is very trendy," said Anita, "but it's a small percentage.  Our president always pushes us to build flexi-ble spaces.  The Y has been teaching kids to swim for a bazillion years it seems … There are many functions for a leisure pool … Little kids' programs have stayed constant with us … We've got a lot of daycare properties that we own."
Asked Kim, "What would you rec-ommend for a community like ours - a bedroom community with a Lifetime Fitness Center coming in down the road?"
Replied Anita, "I think another sur-vey to find out what people want, maybe a teen night.  Instructors can be a magnet.  Lifetime Fitness and Northwest Clubs and the Y do a good job with that."
"So what's your niche?" continued Kim.  "What's your customer base?  What sets you apart from others?"
Replied Anita, "Our relationship with people is at the center.  People feel like the Y is theirs.  If there are no babies, then we work on our senior programs.  I could make more money working for a private organization.  The Y is a social service, helping people.  It's in the human service development business.  It' a joy to be able to impact people's lives in that way."
She said the Y operates with a com-munity board, where the Y hires people and trains them.  If Victoria were to be in partnership with the Y, she said, assuming there'd be a pool, "the city would have the field house and the hockey side and the Y would have the other side."
Councilmember Richard Tieden said he always envisioned the Victoria Field House becoming a place where "people can drop in at any time and not have to pay for everything but have some things available for every child, some place to walk in.  We've got hundreds and hun-dreds of people who participate on our ballfields."
Commented Anita, "That's our slogan, 'When school's out, the Y is in.'  We have 250 kids at the Ridgedale Y everyday during the summer."
"Do you do consulting?" asked Richard.  "I believe it's a little gold mine over here.  I'd be interested in a consult-ing kind of thing but not selling out part of the Field House … We have to also re-member there's a cost for parks."
"I'm not sure," said Yvonne, but we'd be happy to be involved, to help out … We can look into that.  With Lifetime Fitness right here, let's take this as a gold-en opportunity to show people what we can do.  It is tough to get people to come back, except for a price incentive."
Kristine Mock, the Victoria Parks and Rec Director, said that it costs about $15 a day now to use the Y in Mankato, where she is originally from.
Stated Anita, "Our fees are probably in that ballpark.  It's sad to say, but more and more vandalism occurs when you don't know who's in your facility.  That's a sad statement but that's the reality of it."
Richard also said there should be more food available at the Victoria Field House.  "People want to eat!" he said.  "People eat!  I've been saying that from the beginning.  I'm the only one saying that.  People are getting sick of hearing me say it."
Kristy Mock and Jude Boulianne will meet with the Y representatives to put on the table what Victoria currently has in place and what the Y could possibly do, according to their "legal people," since consulting is not part of their normal repertoire.

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