YMCA at the Pines to Transfer Golf Operations Back to the College of The Albemarle Foundation December 31, 2020
YMCA at the Pines to Transfer Golf Operations Back to the College of The Albemarle Foundation December 31, 2020
The YMCA of South Hampton Roads partnered with the College of The Albemarle Foundation in 2017 to preserve The Pines golf course for Elizabeth City and the surrounding community. This was a natural partnership as the Y has been successfully delivering junior golf and life skills programs to communities around Hampton Roads and northeast North Carolina through its First Tee program for nearly 20 years.
Welcoming The Pines to the YMCA of South Hampton Roads Family was an exciting addition and over the last three years, the Y invested nearly $400,000 in improvements and operational maintenance. Recently, efforts to retain and continue preserving the course required additional support from the City, County and community at-large. In 2019, the Y sought assistance from Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County to bridge financial deficiencies.
The generosity of both municipalities supported operations at The Pines in 2019, however, with the current health crisis remaining active, efforts to financially underwrite The Pines by the YMCA of South Hampton Roads has become increasingly more difficult.
"The Y has been a terrific steward of The Pines as a golf course and a public event venue for more than three years," said Doug Gardner, President of the College of The Albemarle Foundation Board of Directors. He noted that the Foundation has "neither the staff nor expertise" to manage properly the 121-acre site.
In partnership with the College of The Albemarle Foundation, the YMCA of South Hampton Roads is developing a plan for the Y to cease operations of the course and transfer premises back to the Foundation. The YMCA of South Hampton Roads will maintain operations for The Pines through December 31, 2020 while The College of The Albemarle Foundation will engage a PGA-recommended real estate agent to find a buyer/operator to preserve the course for Elizabeth City and area residents to enjoy, well into the future. A Foundation ad hoc committee has been working to facilitate the Y's exit from the agreement and to plan for basic course maintenance when the property listing becomes available.
“The COVID-19 crisis has been an overwhelming struggle for many local non-profits and the Y is no exception. Our ability to underwrite The Pines budget and raise dollars to support the course has remained a constant challenge,” said Anthony Walters, President & CEO of the YMCA of South Hampton Roads. “We felt honored to work alongside the College of the Albemarle Foundation for the last three years in this venture. Even though you may not see us at The Pines after this year, we remain committed to being a valuable hub for the Elizabeth City community in wellness, youth programming and social support at the Albemarle Family YMCA.”
The College of the Albemarle Foundation President Douglas Gardner noted that, “The Y has an important, ongoing presence adjacent to the Elizabeth City campus, less than a mile south, where it partners with the College in the Dr. Zack D. Owens Health Science Center.” The College and The Y are grateful for the gift of The Pines golf course and country club three years ago and hopeful a buyer can be found early next year, before the heavy golf season starts in April. “If the course cannot be sold to a golf operator, it will go on the market and could be sold to a real estate investor if a golf operator does not materialize,” Gardner said.
The Y encourages the community to continue playing golf at The Pines golf course through the end of the month. The course has remained open throughout the health crisis with safety guidelines in place and both institutions remain committed to supporting the community through this transition to ensure such a beautiful asset can seamlessly transition to its future operators.
Exiting operations at the Pines is one step of many for the YMCA of South Hampton Roads as it attempts to mitigate the financial hardship experienced by the pandemic.
ABOUT THE YMCA OF SOUTH HAMPTON ROADS
The YMCA of South Hampton Roads is a nonprofit, community-based health and human services organization that serves over 250,000 children and families throughout Coastal Virginia, Northeastern North Carolina and as far west as South Boston/Halifax County in Virginia. More than 30% of those families receive financial assistance through the Open Doors program, whose funding is made available by the generosity of donors, helping them achieve their full potential in spirit, mind and body. The Y’s doors are open to people of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and incomes.