It’s been a long few years for both Jamestown Community College and the Jamestown Area YMCA as both organizations look to raise the money necessary to build new buildings they see as necessary for their future.

The need to find a new home for the YMCA has been evident for years as the familiar Fourth Street building has become a maintenance headache over the years. JCC, meanwhile, has been looking to boost access to sports fields through a couple of different projects over the years.

The sticking point for both organizations has been cost. The YMCA had found itself stymied trying to raise $30 million for a new complex on Harrison Street, while JCC had struggled to gain approvals for two projects, the most expensive of which would have cost $30 million and involved major alterations to Russell E. Diethrick Park as well as acquiring the stadium from the city.

Two $30 million projects is a heavy lift for an area with as many needs as we face in southern Chautauqua County. It’s good to see, though, that the YMCA and JCC found they may be able to help each other at a total cost of roughly $47 million. The $43 million project has received approval from the county Planning Board. Of that amount JCC would be responsible for a little over $24 million. The YMCA would pay $19,189,293. Of JCC’s amount, 50% would come from the state, 25% would come from the county and the college would be responsible to raise the remaining 25% through its foundation. For the county portion, that amount would be around $6 million.

The $13 million saved is one selling point. More important is the attempt by JCC and the YMCA to help each other solve needs that go beyond the need for new buildings. There will be shared smart classroom space for academic classes, tutoring, youth mentoring and community programming, new conference rooms and office suites, two new pools, including one with adaptive equipment to serve those with disabilities; new gyms for JCC athletics, YMCA leagues and community open gym, childcare facilities, afterschool and child watch areas, a shared health and wellness center, a teen center and an inter-generational center.

This is the type of thinking we need to see more of in our area. The partnership between JCC and the YMCA makes sense on many levels and, we hope, provide a model as other non-profits plan for the future. JCC and the YMCA may not have seemed like ideal partners even five years ago. But the ability to split the cost of a big project and potentially increase offerings to the community brought the two together.

It took some time, difficult conversations and creative thinking, but it looks like JCC and the YMCA have come up with a solution that works for the college, the Y and, most importantly, the community.