CB1 to Decide Which “Y” It Wants to Serve the Area Planning for a 100,000-square-foot, $40-million Downtown community and cultural center takes an important step forward this month when Community Board 1 chooses to partner with either the YMCA of Greater New York or the 92nd Street Y to develop the facility. The two organizations were to deliver final proposals for a Lower Manhattan branch to CB1 by Oct. 4 and will make public presentations on Oct. 10. Preliminary plans were submitted late last month. The YMCA proposed a facility that would include multi-purpose class and meeting rooms, a swimming pool, a basketball court, excercise equipment, aerobics classrooms, a theater with at least 99 seats and another performance space. In addition to recreational and cultural programs, the center would host activities such as children’s daycare and after-school and teen leadership programs. The 92nd Street Y also envisioned a center with a mix of recreational, cultural and other community programs, but, consistent with its Upper East Side home and its Makor center on the West Side, placed a bit more emphasis on cultural components. The Downtown facility would have “an international flavor” and would also include a residence, the plan stated. An evaluation committee made up of representatives of CB1 and the Alliance for Downtown New York as well as other community leaders is scheduled to review the final proposals and make a recommendation to CB1’s Executive Committee early this month. The Ys will also present their plans at the Executive Committee’s public meeting on Oct. 10 (see Community Calendar, page 20). “They’re giving us their visions for what they want to do down here,” said CB1 District Manager Paul Goldstein. “This is the start of a long process.” The full community board will vote on the proposals at its monthly meeting on Oct.15 and will pass its recommendation to the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the city-state agency overseeing the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site and surrounding areas. CB1 hopes the LMDC will provide a big chunk of funding for a Downtown Y. Additional money will be sought from foundations, corporations and other sources. One or more sites for the Downtown Y must also be found. “It may not just be one facility,” said G. G. Weisenfeld, co-chair of CB1’s Youth and Education Committee and a member of the evaluation committee. “We’re looking at maybe a few facilities that would be linked. We’re thinking creatively because our community is spread out.” The Educational Alliance, which runs a variety of community centers and programs in the city, also submitted a proposal, but said it was not interested in being the sole operator of a large Downtown facility. The group is proposing to offer services through a partnership with the Y that is chosen. Among other requirements, the three organizations were asked to detail how they would collaborate with existing small businesses and organizations that provide youth programs. “We don’t want to duplicate services and run out the small guys,” Weisenfeld said.