SUISUN CITY — The Suisun City Council unanimously approved on Tuesday the sale of the shuttered Community/Aquatic Center next to Hall Park to The Salvation Army.

The vote concluded a 16-month search for a new operator for the community facility following the sudden closure of the facility by the YMCA.

The Salvation Army will develop a timeline for the complete renovation of the facility before reopening it with a full range of community and recreational services for everyone from seniors to youth, including fitness and aquatics programs.

The City Council agreed to sell the entire facility, including the gymnasium, offices, community rooms, workout space, locker rooms and swimming pool, to The Salvation Army for $3 million. The City plans to use $1.6 million of the sales proceeds to retire the debt remaining from earlier improvements requested by the YMCA.

Because any new improvements to the facility would be funded through donations, The Salvation Army requested to purchase the facility rather than operate the City-owned facility.

The City Council expressed its appreciation for the efforts of the Citizens Advisory Committee during the recruitment process, and excitement over the committment The Salvation Army has shown by purchasing the building and the demonstrated quality of its programming.

Approval of this project by The Salvation Army is a testament to the opportunity this Community/Aquatic Center presents.

“In spite of current economic challenges, The Salvation Army believes that the residents of Suisun City and its surrounding communities are sufficiently committed to the health, fitness and future of their families,” said Major Douglas F. Riley, Divisional Commander of The Salvation Army’s Del Oro Division. “We are looking forward to working together and making this a positive outcome for all.”

The Salvation Army is committed to provide a wide range of community programs at the facility, including:

• Fitness and recreation activities, including:
  • Fitness machines and weights
  • Market driven fitness classes and activities
  • Multi-generational aquatics programs
  • Basketball leagues and free play
  • Intramural sports
  • Dance instruction
• After-school tutoring and recreation programs
• Summer day and away camps
• Christmas programs
• Youth & Senior services
• Worship and fellowship services

The Salvation Army will use a membership structure that places a reasonable value on its services, but is graduated to allow low- and moderate-income residents to access services. Members will not be required to attend any religious services to use the recreational amenities.

The Salvation Army plans to invest significant amounts to upgrade the facility, which was built in various phases starting in 1983. From landscaping and deep cleaning to upgrades to the gymnasium floor, basketball goals and new workout equipment, the entire facility will receive a thorough updating.

The Salvation Army plans to upgrade the facility by spending approximately $800,000 on the refurbishment and remodel of the building. The planned improvements to the Community/Aquatic Center facility include:

• Improvements to the gymnasium floor
• Audio equipment installation
• Refurbishment of pool
• Handicap access
• Locker room upgrades
• Office upgrades
• Roof repair as needed
• Exterior landscape facelift
• Painting as needed

The Suisun City Council selected The Salvation Army to reopen the Community/Aquatic Center from a field of seven organizations interested in re-opening the facility, which was shuttered by the North Bay YMCA.

A City Council Ad Hoc Committee and a Citizens’ Advisory Committee reviewed all the proposals and unanimously selected The Salvation Army as the top choice based upon its commitment to families, communities and the high level of service evident in more than the 360 recreation centers it operates across the nation.

Top priorities of the City Council Ad Hoc and Citizens’ Advisory committees were to ensure:

• Commitment to a safe place for children when schools are closed;
• Commitment to partner with other community groups for facility usage;
• Pool operations;
• Basketball court usage; and
• Fitness center, including machines and free weights.

A rigorous series of interviews and site visits verified the quality of The Salvation Army’s operations, its desire to provide services not otherwise available in the community, and its commitment to becoming part of the community. Specifically, the committees were impressed with The Salvation Army’s commitment to provide a safe and fun environment for children, its flexibility in programming and membership rates, its wide base of financial support, and its worldwide reputation for enduring high-quality programs. The Salvation Army prides itself on providing support services to families to ensure their success economically and as a basic building block of society.

About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is a faith-based Christian organization that has actively supported those in need without discrimination in the United States for 128 years. Nearly 29 million American receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through a broad array of social services ranging from providing food for the hungry to relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter for the homeless, and opportunities for underprivileged children. About 82 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide.

For more information about The Salvation Army, visit www.tsatoday.org.