Jackson board approves YMCA feasibility study

The Jackson Board of Aldermen on Monday night authorized spending up to $15,000 as a matching expenditure with the Jackson School District relative to the preparation of a YMCA feasibility study.

The school district, which has yet to iron out the details of a major high school campus modification, is considering building a school/community center in one of its proposed layouts. There has been discussion whether the city would be interested in sharing the cost of such a center. The study marks one of the first official steps in making that happen, although there is a long way to go before anything is decided.

The school board approved going ahead with the study at its last meeting and the Board of Aldermen followed suit.

The Clement & Wynn Program Managers consulting firm out of Atlanta, Ga., will conduct a survey with a 10- to 15-mile radius of Jackson to determine whether there would be enough demand to justify the project, said Alderman Kerry Hoffman, who has been the city council's liaison with the YMCA.

Hoffman said when considering community centers, joint ventures tend to work better because very few of the centers pay for themselves and by dividing the costs, it places less of a cost burden on one particular entity.