“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance”. (Proverbs 21:5)
“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’”. (Audrey Hepburn)
Last week, I was included on an email from Loren Johnson, our Director of Property Development and Facilities. Loren was alerting us to a very significant issue with respect to the Lakewood Y facility, specifically the condition of the walls of the building. Loren and Ed Bressette, our Association Facility Director, along with Mike Cook, the Lakewood Facility Director, have been monitoring the roof and the walls for quite some time, recognizing that there have been issues with leaks over the years. The team has done a great job maintaining the roof, all along, monitoring the moisture in the walls. Ed, Loren and the facility directors throughout the association have been carefully managing all of the challenges before us, with limited resources, only being able to address those projects that have become critical, which the Lakewood walls have become. This approach is a departure from our historical commitment to facility maintenance. For over 40 years, we have had the resources to invest into the maintenance of our facilities; COVID changed that. For the past three years, we have had to be very selective in which projects we could afford to do. In the case of Lakewood, we are now having to adjust our priorities, with Lakewood rising up the list at the expense of other projects. This is not an ideal process, but it is the best we can do under these, still, very challenging circumstances. I commend Loren, Ed and the Facility Directors, as well as the Board of Directors, who have contributed with expert guidance to help us make the best decisions.
When we built our budget plan for 2023, we knew that we had to include enough money to begin to address some of the key issues that could no longer wait. Tacoma Center turns 40 years old later this year, Lakewood turned 30 last year, and the list goes on, with Bremerton, Camp Seymour, Camp Lake Helena, and even Korum, who is now 23 years old, all needing to address important facility challenges. When I share that we made more money than we spent in 2022, as a reason to celebrate, I meant it, it is a reason to celebrate, especially, when you consider it was not until March that the mask mandate had been lifted. I also recognize we have, what Toko Thompson, our Vice-President and Chief Finance Officer, refers to as “below the line” commitments in the budget; these are the all-important debt repayment and depreciation. In 2022, we missed that number by $7.5 million, which puts us out of compliance with the banks and our board policy guidelines. Both the board and the bank have been understanding of the conditions we have been facing, but there is also the realization that we must no longer be out of compliance. The 2023 budget plan we designed, includes $2.3 million to go toward debt payment, and approximately $3.5 million for facility projects. When you consider that $1.8 million goes toward the Tom Taylor natatorium repair, there is not much left beyond the Lakewood project.
Being able to design a budget plan that created a financial net big enough to cover the debt and depreciation, quite honestly, made all of us feel a little uncomfortable, but we also knew it was critical that we hit the mark. It certainly raised the stakes for 2023, but the January promotion has produced extraordinary results, and set the tone for a great start to the new year. At the moment I am writing this message our association is already at 2,500 units over the goal, exceeding 6,100 total new member units joining our Y thus far in 2023. In addition, the operations team is prepared to immediately engage all the new members. As Michael Marquez, Operations Director, pointed out to me, the health and well-being team has already engaged over 500 Kick Start appointments and over 300 orientations to date, which provides important points of contact to help these new members get involved in the Y. We have also seen some crazy high registrations in swim lessons, 7,066, and youth sports, 1,853. Scotty Jackson, Executive Director, and his team, out at Camp Seymour have been ringing the bell a lot lately, with 518 already registered for summer overnight camp. Operations has worked hard to get every member into programs, keenly aware how critical it is to build on the success of the promotion and retain our members.
When we submitted the budget plan to the board for approval, the board actually asked for more supportive data before they approved it. It was one of the few times I ever saw that happen, but, I also understood why. We put forth some pretty aggressive numbers in order for us to achieve our goals, and they wanted to make sure that we had a good plan. It has been a tough three years for our Y, and we fell pretty far from what everyone was used to seeing from us. Though membership is still the primary component of our operation, achieving our goals will require every part of our operation firing at a high level. It is also what gives me the most confidence. Our team is strong. This past Friday, I visited Holly Tedford, Executive Director in Child Care, and she was excited to share the great early results from the child care team, in both early learning and before and after school. Everywhere I look in our association, the energy is high, and the team is ready to do what is necessary for us to be successful. I feel great about the effort, and the commitment. As I drove around the Tom Taylor Y this morning searching for a parking spot, I was thrilled to see so many people walking into the center. It is a great way to start the new year. 2023 will be epic for our association. Thank you for your preparation and dedication. I love our team, there is nothing we cannot do together. Let’s Do This!!!
- Staff Blog by Charlie Davis
#OneY #StayStrong #StayWithUs