YMCA withdraws parks partnership proposal

GAINESVILLE - On the heels of a Hall County Commission discussion Tuesday night, the Georgia Mountains YMCA has decided to withdraw its proposal to partner with Hall County to operate the county Parks and Leisure Services.

Commissioners decided Tuesday night to have Assistant County Administrator Marty Nix present a new plan Thursday for continued county-run Parks and Leisure Services operations. His proposal, to be presented to commissioners Thursday at 1:00 p.m., would require approval of the Board of Commissioners.

The YMCA released a statement Wednesday stating its intentions to withdraw from the process.

YMCA CEO Rich Gallagher stated, "The YMCA's intentions have always been to simply help the County and the Community, to be a partner not a competitor."

The county released a statement shortly after the YMCA publicized its statement. "We are grateful to the YMCA for their invaluable contribution to this process of exploring privatization of our parks system," County Administrator Randy Knighton said.

"We are always open to future partnerships with the YMCA and other nonprofit organizations for the benefit of all Hall County residents."