By Dan Hust
MONTICELLO — The Middletown YMCA is eyeing the former movie theater on the Apollo Mall property, and the mall’s developer is eager to work out a deal.
“It’s really a pretty good building,” YMCA Development Director Linda Cellini said this week. “Good spacing, floor plan – it would be a good location.”
“I think it’s a great location and would be good to have a Y there,” agreed Henry Zabatta, a partner in Chancellor-Livingston, which is working out a deal with Sullivan County officials to develop the county-owned property.
“We’re just waiting for the county and the developers to finalize their agreement,” said Cellini.
She’s eager to use half a million dollars from NYS Senator John Bonacic towards what she anticipated will be a $700,000 renovation of the structure.
In fact, she’s been going over room plans in preparation of a capital fundraising campaign that will kick off September 28.
The planned facility would include fitness and meeting rooms, a gym, classrooms and offices – “an actual Y,” said Cellini. It would boost existing YMCA offerings in Monticello and a coming environmental preserve in Rock Hill, she added.
Zabatta said he and partner Michael Kaplan have given the YMCA a “verbal commitment” and will draw up a long-term lease as soon as they have the legal authority to do so.
“We’re virtually going to give up our profit on the lease so we can get the YMCA in there and make it affordable for them,” he affirmed.
“It will be very, very reasonable [terms],” agreed Cellini. “They want the Y to come, too.”