A grassroots coalition fighting the $42.5 million sale of the Morrison Family YMCA told Mecklenburg County commissioners it plans to file a lawsuit within two weeks.
Coalition members made the announcement during a public hearing Tuesday, Oct. 20, as first reported by the Charlotte Observer. They also said they will formally request North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson to intervene under state statutes governing charitable gifts and fiduciary responsibilities.
The 22-acre campus at 9405 Bryant Farms Road has offered recreational programs for south Charlotte families since the 1990s. The YMCA of Greater Charlotte announced June 17 it had accepted an unsolicited offer from Moments of Hope Church. The deal is expected to close next summer.
Coalition leader Henry Santos called the Morrison YMCA "a likely irreplaceable community asset" and asked commissioners directly for help.
Charlotte-based attorney John Nestico, speaking for the coalition, said that while the property deeds may not restrict the YMCA's ability to sell, the law requires the sale to be consistent with and promote the charitable purposes of targeted gifts made to build the facility.
Tom Giblin, a former YMCA board member whose late daughter Rachel is honored by a memorial on the property, asked commissioners to pass a resolution urging Jackson's review. "For 30 years, our county partnered with the Morrison Y and no private sale extinguishes the county's rights under those long-held agreements," Giblin said.
Greg Parks told commissioners the sale could eliminate the Morrison youth theater, an inclusive program serving neurodiverse children with autism and ADHD that organizes performances at schools, senior living facilities and homeless shelters.
Joseph Navarro, a seven-year YMCA employee and coalition member, said the branch manages shared county fields, youth sports leagues, childcare, after-school programs and summer camps. He asked commissioners how the county would fill the void if the facility closes.
The commissioners did not take action Oct. 20.
The coalition has gathered more than 7,000 petition signatures since the sale was announced four months ago. Mecklenburg County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell, who represents the Ballantyne district, has publicly opposed the deal. In an Aug. 28 WSOC-TV report, she said replacing the facility could cost taxpayers at least $100 million.
YMCA CEO Sue Glass and Board Chairman Jeff Brown have defended the transaction, saying the proceeds will fund a $100 million reinvestment plan to modernize other branches, including Johnston, Stratford Richardson, Harris and Hemby. Glass wrote in a letter last month that the 150-year-old nonprofit's financial struggles began during the COVID pandemic in 2020.
The Morrison YMCA is expected to remain open until next summer.
