Good evening.  The YMCA today issued the following press release.  Thanks to your efforts, a framework for a long term camping experience is being put together. Congratulations, folks!  This is an important first step.

The camp, of course, needs your continued help to attain our goal of 100 more years of service.  In this regard, we will be working Saturday to help Spruce up the Camp, and next week the Y plans to kick off a community task force to consider ways to support the camping operations.

Thanks for your support.

Sincerely,

Save the Centerville Mills Experience
Mark Fagerholm

The YMCA of Greater Cleveland Will Sell Centerville Mills Property

to Chagrin River Land Conservancy and Bainbridge Township

CLEVELAND -- February 13, 2003 -- An agreement has been reached between the YMCA of Greater Cleveland and Chagrin River Land Conservancy and Bainbridge Township for the sale of 160+ acres that comprise the YMCA Centerville Mills Camp located in Bainbridge Township and Aurora. Congressman Steve LaTourette helped to bring the parties together, which resulted in a commitment to keep the location operating as a YMCA camp facility for at least five years.

The land will be sold to Chagrin River Land Conservancy, and will later be assigned to Bainbridge Township. The Township has indicated the property will become a township park for community use in addition to retaining the camping component with YMCA of Greater Cleveland. A conservation easement will be placed on the property to preserve its natural, scenic, wooded areas.

In November 2002, the YMCA's Board of Trustees began discussions about closing the 100-year-old camp because it was losing more than $100,000 a year and needed costly repairs for which funding was not available. Proposed as part of a broader plan for the YMCA of Greater Cleveland’s financial turnaround, Centerville Mills' potential closing was met by an outpouring of support for the camp from YMCA volunteers, generations of past campers, and area residents who wanted to preserve the camp's legacy. The YMCA of Greater Cleveland board of trustees and LaTourette promised to work with the community to find a viable solution to keep Centerville Mills in operation.

"Congressman LaTourette said he would step up to the plate and find a resolution for Centerville Mills to benefit everyone involved, and it was a promise he upheld," said Ken McLaughlin, Chief Executive Officer of the YMCA of Greater Cleveland. "Thank you to all of the community leaders, the Bainbridge Township Trustees, Chagrin River Land Conservancy, area residents, and volunteers who collaborated with us to keep Centerville Mills open. This is a poignant example of the spirit of community and mission of caring that the YMCA is all about."

The property will transfer no later than July 1, 2003. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

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