Parrish Foundation says it only wanted to get fair rent for its building, not evict YMCA
The Parrish Foundation on Friday responded to the Manatee County Family YMCA’s announcement this week that it is shutting down the Parrish program that it has operated since 2009.
“While the Parrish Foundation regrets the Manatee County YMCA’s decision to terminate the Parrish Branch, it must have a responsible tenant with the financial strength to pay rent like any building owner would require,” the foundation said in a press release.
“The Parrish Foundation was simply asking the Manatee County YMCA to sit down and negotiate a rent amount. The YMCA declined to do so,” the foundation said in a press release.
“The Parrish Foundation feels that it has financially done the most it can to support the Parrish YMCA with its initial $153,000, and $67,000 in grant awards and participation and cooperative partnership with the Parrish Branch YMCA. The Manatee County YMCA’s decision is truly regrettable and unfortunate for its Parrish members and the community,” the press release said.
Under the original use agreement, the YMCA would, if it made a profit in the first 18 months of operation, pay an amount of up to $153,000 to the foundation.
“When the accounting was completed at the end of 18 months, there was no money to fund the reserve account. So, in effect, the Parrish Foundation paid the Manatee County YMCA $153,000 to start the Parrish branch and the Manatee County YMCA paid no rent to utilize the building,” the foundation said.
When the lease expired in 2014, the foundation sought to establish negotiations with the YMCA, but those attempts at communication were ignored, the foundation said.
“It was never the intention of the Parrish Foundation to evict the Parrish Branch YMCA and, in fact, did not evict the Parrish Branch YMCA,” the foundation said.
“The Foundation greatly appreciates the work of the Parrish Branch YMCA and in particular, its staff. It has been very beneficial to the residents of the community. It’s programs have benefited many people in the Parrish area,” the foundation said.
The YMCA, in its press release on Wednesday, said that it spent more than $250,000 in facility upkeep over the course of 10 years under its arrangement with the building owner.
The YMCA originally leased the facility in October of 2009 for a 5-year term. That lease expired in October of 2014, after which the YMCA continued occupancy on a month-to-month basis under the original lease terms, paying all operational expenses and the expenses of upkeep for the 1920’s-era building.
The foundation on Friday said that the $250,000 the YMCA claimed to have spent on building improvements simply paid for maintenance and no significant improvements.
The building is now badly in need of proper maintenance and repairs, the foundation said.
YMCA officials said that the proposed long-term lease agreement presented by the foundation would produce an additional financial burden that would make it difficult to operate the facility, even in a normal pre-COVID-19 environment.
“During these uncertain times, and during a period when all normal branch operations have been suspended,” the YMCA said that it could not sign such an agreement.
The YMCA said will vacate the building by July 1.
