Grand Traverse County commissioners voted 6-1 Wednesday to have the Grand Traverse Bay YMCA take over management of Easling Pool beginning January 2016. Commissioner Ron Clous opposed the proposal.

Under the agreement terms, the county will pay the YMCA a $50,000 annual management fee, a cost that will be reduced on a sliding scale as memberships accrue. Once the YMCA hits 700 annual memberships, the fee will be eliminated entirely; the organization predicts it can hit that number within three years. The YMCA will pay all pool operational costs, and will assume utility costs for the facility once memberships reach 400. The move is expected to reduce the county's Parks and Recreation budget by roughly $250,000 in 2016.

County Administrator Tom Menzel expressed concerns about the deal, noting that the YMCA didn't have "shared risk" with the county in the agreement because "if it doesn't work, (they) walk away." He also pointed out that the county is facing a $3 million budget shortfall in 2016, and that operating Easling Pool wasn't a mandated service. However, other commissioners defended the proposal, highlighting the importance of the pool to residents and stating that alternate scenarios - including closing the pool permanently - still carried significant costs for the county.

"Even though (the YMCA agreement) might not save as much as you really want it to, it does save," said Commissioner Carol Crawford, addressing Menzel. "We have people standing in front of us who have stepped in and said, 'Here, let us help.' And I think it would be a really big disappointment and not a great show of faith in our community to say, 'No, never mind, just close it.'"

As part of the agreement, the YMCA will have dedicated use of at least one Civic Center field and will convert the Civic Center conference room into a fitness facility. The Y East or Y at Easling Pool - two proposed names for the facility - would operate Monday-Friday from 5:30am-9pm, Saturday from 7am-4pm and Sunday from 12-4pm. Membership rates will be lower in most categories than those at the Grand Traverse Bay YMCA, with monthly rates set at $39 for adults, $45 for adult couples, $50 for families, $29 for seniors, $35 for senior couples and $19 for youth.

With the new management agreement in place, Parks and Recreation commissioners and Friends of Easling Pool will next turn their attention to applying for grants - including from Rotary Charities and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians - to try and raise $500,000 for future capital improvements at the pool. Because Easling Pool will remain a county-owned facility, the county will still be responsible for its long-term maintenance and upkeep.