By Karissa Minn
kminn@salisburypost.com
CLEVELAND – The nearly 46,000 square-foot facility that used to house the West Rowan YMCA has been vacant for more than five years, but that could change in the near future.
The fate of the building at 603 E. Main St. could be decided by the YMCA of Rowan County board of directors during a meeting Monday.
Jamie Morgan, CEO of the YMCA, has been mum about what’s next for the building, but he said the board is “exploring several different options.”
“We haven’t finalized anything at this point,” Morgan said. “We are trying to expedite the process to get rid of the building.”
Morgan and Cornerstone Church Pastor Bill Godair said rumors that the YMCA is planning to donate the building to the church are untrue.
Godair told a Post reporter he made an announcement about the building during a church service Sunday, but declined to comment any further.
“I would rather the comment come from them,” he said of YMCA officials. “Yes, we have met with them, and we have talked to them.”
Morgan said there are still hopes that the building will sell, but he pointed out it has been on the market for five years.
The Cleveland Town Board of Commissioners approved a rezoning request for the building from residential to conditional use in September 2010 so that Steve Williams, the owner of Attic Tent, could use the facility as a distribution center, but the company ended up moving to Mooresville.
Commissioner Frankie Fleming-Adkins said the longer the building sits unoccupied, the harder it will be to sell, but she’s still hopeful about its future.
“I wish somebody would come in and say ‘It’s the perfect building,’ and then do something with it,” she said.
Mike Wright, president of the YMCA’s board of directors, said the executive committee has met and will make a recommendation to the board Monday.
“Regardless of whether we sell it, donate it or whatever the other options are, our intent is to make sure whomever the next owner is, the building will benefit the community in some way,” he said.
Contact reporter Sarah Campbell at 704-797-7683.
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