Addressing YMCA misinformation

To the Editor:

We continue to be amazed by the amount of misinformation about the YMCA that continues to be published in this papers’ Letter to the Editor section. We agree 100 percent that people are entitled to their opinions but it truly saddens/disappoints us that even after the building of this facility has been passed by vote, people continue to try and reverse the situation.

After reading Mr. Bradley’s letter, we felt compelled as well to write a note to the editor.

Several social media posts provided interesting and more positive information regarding the closure of the YMCA in Rochester. This facility, not a community center, was open for nearly 60 years. This is awesome and should be praised.

We wonder why Mr. Bradley chose Rochester for comparison? Towns similar in size/population of Fairmont would be a better assessment. A brief internet search pulled up the Austin ACRC (Austin Community Recreation Center). This community center actually just built and opened a new facility in February of 2020. How great is this? Not only did they have a successful community center run by YMCA, but they built a new and bigger one. Now we will admit, the population according to last census is at 26,174 which is bigger than Fairmont, but a closer comparison to our beloved Fairmont.

A Beacon search of Mr. Bradley show a home mailing address of Wheaton, Ill. We understand the records could be out of date, but we question as to whether Richard Bradley lived here 2 years ago then why wasn’t his recent concerns published then?

Or could it be he just moved back to the area and is now getting “involved.” As a family that lives here, have and are raising children here, we will continue to promote positive growth and opportunities of which a community center fosters, and continue to be excited about the city we live in.

We thank all of the committee volunteers, public and private donors alike. We appreciate the work being put into this project.

JT and Tara Thedens

Fairmont