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The Guyton City Council held a special-called meeting Oct. 3 with one item on the agenda.

But that one item is destined to fill a need and a much-desired recreational outlet for Guyton residents.

The council unanimously voted to offer the YMCA of Coastal Georgia a ten-year lease for 3 ½ acres of land and the two existing buildings at 718 Central Ave.

According to the agreement, rent payments to the city will start in March 2024 for the two buildings on a sliding scale starting at $500/month the first year. Rent will increase each of the next five years; and in the sixth year, the City Council can vote to charge market value rent, if it so chooses.

In the meantime, the Y is proposing to possibly use the smaller building for childcare – even though at its present size, it can only accommodate 28 children. The larger building can be stocked with free weights and cardio equipment and used as an exercise room.

“The smaller building, the thought is to use it for after-school enrichment programs after-school activities for the children, teen leadership activities and also senior activities during the day,” Guyton City Manager Maketa Brown told the council during her presentation prior to the vote.

“The larger building, my thought is to go ahead and create that to be the fitness center where you will have free weights and circuit equipment and cardio equipment.”

This was the beginning of the negotiations with the Y. And the Y posed the question.

“What if we looked at constructing a full-scale childcare center for you? Would you be open to a land lease agreement to build a $2 million facility that would take care of children from infancy to three years old?”, Brown recalled her conversations with the Y. “So we got into negotiations and talking through the project and we agreed we'll give (lease) them three and a half acres.”

The lease agreement stipulates that the Y must begin building its facility by year three (2027); and in the meantime, the city will receive rent income of $6,000 the first year, $9,000 the second year, $12,000 the third year, $15,000 the fourth, and $18,000, the fifth, for the two buildings.

In addition to the two existing buildings, the Y has agreed to a land lease for 3 ½ acres to build a childcare center. Rent will start at $1,000/month in March 2024, when construction is expected to begin; then increase up to $1,800/month when the building is occupied and operational – March 2027 or sooner.

Brown delineated the income the city can expect during the first five years -- $125,000; and by the sixth year, the Y should have a fully functioning facility in Guyton.

Councilmember Marshall Reiser thanked Brown for all her hard work in working with the Y, and added, “I think the bigger issue is that the city is providing a service for our citizens and it's a legacy for the kids to have. I think it's probably one of the few Ys where people will be able to walk to this facility.”

Reiser also added praise for Y staff. “Based on my discussions with the Y folks, I think they really have some good ideas – pickleball to a soccer complex -- almost a showplace,” Reiser said.

“This agreement allows us to build something that the city would never build on its own. So I think one of the other benefits besides financial and community is the ability to have equity in a facility. I think it's a great partnership, that the city will have the Y,” Reiser continued. “And I think it's just something that will improve the quality of life that we have in the city.”

Councilmember Hursula Pelote complemented Resier’s statements, saying, “We're giving the community something that they asked for. They want childcare. They want somewhere for seniors to go. So I just say this is a wonderful effort.”

Negotiations with the Y began earlier in 2023 when the city purchased the property from Savannah-based Spiva Law Group with the idea of using the land for recreational purposes.

At a public forum held in April, members of the public expressed a desire for childcare and a place for teens and senior activities.

The YMCA of Coastal Georgia currently has 11 facilities in Chatham, Bryan, Effingham, and surrounding counties. When fully operational, the Guyton YMCA will be the second such facility in Effingham County. The only other Y in the county is in Rincon.

According to the IRS, the YMCA of Coastal Georgia appears to be on firm financial ground. In its IRS filings for 2021 (most recent available on www.causeiq.com) the organization had net assets of $23.5 million, and employed just over 1,600 people. Filings from previous years show that the Y has experienced steady financial growth since at least 2018.

In a bold move, the City of Guyton is eyeing property for future development into a recreation site, along with a possible collaboration with the YMCA, which may add a facility to the project.

The property at 718 Central Blvd., is currently owned by Savannah-based Spiva Law Group, who is agreeable to the sale. The City and Spiva Law Group have signed a letter of intent to complete the transaction for $750,000. The funds would come from Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds and proceeds from two certificates of deposit.

Mayor Russ Deen and the City Council expressed excitement about the project, saying if the YMCA of Coastal Georgia came on board, it would be able to offer childcare, recreation, and sports programs within walking distance from Guyton Elementary School.

“The YMCA has expressed use of those buildings (currently on the property) which should lead to future expansions,” Deen said. “We are still in the conversation phase so no agreements have been made at this date, but we should know a significant amount more (after) the April 4 meeting.”

The city is hosting a workshop with the YMCA of Coastal Georgia at the Guyton Gymnasium, 505 Magnolia St., on Tuesday, April 4 at 7 p.m. The public is invited to share ideas and input on what they want at the proposed facility.

The only YMCA facility in Effingham County is in Rincon.

However, the project is not without its detractors. Theodore Hamby of Guyton addressed the council at its March 14 meeting. Hamby accused the council of “bailing out” Spiva for a “bad real estate deal.” Hamby was warned by Mayor Deen regarding his accusatory and potentially slanderous tone.

Hamby stated the property at 718 Central Blvd. was purchased by Spiva last year for $500,000 and was now selling it to the City of Guyton for $750,000. He stated that the city “already has” a recreational facility at Bazemore Park.

According to Howard Spiva of Savannah-based Spiva Law Group PC, the sale of the property was not intended to “make a profit” but to help the community.

“It's one of the reasons that I chose to sell the property to Guyton and even though they were against me making a profit,” Spiva said. “I sold it for a considerable amount less than what I could sell it to developers right now. I've turned down a number of people for long-term very lucrative leases.”

He added that the property could easily be sold for more than $1 million, and that Spiva also was hoping to move their own non-profit to the site, but instead chose to sell the site to the City of Guyton.

Regarding Hamby’s comments, Spiva said, “He's entitled to his opinion, but he's just completely wrong. He has false information. And he has no clue of what values of properties are in Effingham County.”

Mayor Deen added the site is close to Guyton Elementary and would be able to serve the city’s growing needs for recreation and childcare facilities, especially with the cooperation of the YMCA.

The Savannah-based attorney concurred with Deen’s assessment of what Guyton needs to do regarding the growth that’s coming to the county with all the new warehouses, jobs, and people.

“I think Guyton has been smart with putting (recreation and other infrastructure) in place and there's a lot more stuff that they're working on,” Spiva said. “People want to work at the plants and the warehouses in Fort Howard and all that. (Then) they want to come home to ‘Mayberry’,” making a reference to the small town portrayed in old TV shows such as The Andy Griffith Show.

Spiva added, “Guyton has gotten the historic district that they put in, you know, architectural plans and zoning and a Tree Protection Act, then they're going to have people coming in spending a lot of money, fixing it up and tours of homes and tours of churches and it’s going to be Mayberry; but if they don't, then it's going to be ‘Walley World’,” referring to a 1980s National Lampoon comedy.

Spiva expressed cautious optimism for Guyton when he said, “I think the mayor said it best when he said, ‘What's going on right now is a gold rush.’ And, and my comment to him was, ‘Yeah, there's a gold rush, but we've got a hidden diamond. And we have to preserve it because there are wonderful places in Guyton."

Guyton residents met April 4 in the Guyton Gym with Mayor Russ Deen and the city council to discuss plans for a proposed recreation facility on Central Avenue.

Still in the discussion phase, leaders from the Coastal Georgia YMCA were also on hand to discuss the organization’s mission, projects on-going or recently completed at other local Y locations, and gather feedback from Guyton residents.

Mayor Deen was pleased with the turnout of almost 50 residents.

“This is the most people (here) since we started having meetings over here (at the gym), so I'll expect you all and Tuesday night's council meeting,” Deen said.

“This (meeting) was the brainchild from one of our stakeholder meetings of our comprehensive plan,” Deen said. “As we were discussing all the dire needs of Guyton – childcare, senior activities, all the things the YMCA does, Tamela Mydell, (owner of the Southern Kafe on 17 and a board member of the Effingham Chamber of Commerce) said, ‘Why aren’t you talking with the YMCA?’”

That was the start of bringing the Y, Guyton city leaders, and the community together.

Joel Smoker, CEO of the Coastal Georgia YMCA, urged the audience to participate via their cell phones to various questions about services or amenities they would like in a future Y in Guyton.

Anything to do with children was the number-one concern of the crowd. The audience expressed desire for everything from childcare, to tutoring, kindergarten readiness, to having a “safe place for youth and teens to socialize.”

Other ideas mentioned were gymnastics and PE programs for home-school students.

According to posts on Facebook, most people would like an indoor pool so water activities and swimming can be held year round, which may be a possibility. Among other desires were programs for seniors and families.

Costs were discussed. To this point Smoker pointed out, “Nobody is excluded from the YMCA programs.” He explained that people pay based on their income. “You simply fill out a form that speaks to what your annual income is and then we have a scale that says if you make $50,000 a year you pay this rate, and a household that makes $100,000 pays another rate.”

The land for the proposed Y is 14 acres at 718 Central Blvd., which the City of Guyton is in the process of purchasing for $750,000 from Savannah-based Spiva Law Group. When combined with the existing ballfields of Bazemore Park, Guyton will have 26 acres available for recreation.

Effingham County is adding two more amenities for residents. Last week, Guyton celebrated the opening of Parker’s Kitchen and Rincon will welcome Empire Gym at the end of the month.

Although the town has one near the downtown district, Guyton Mayor Russ Deen said it is convenient for folks who need toiletries, gas or need to grab an item in the middle of the night. The new Parker’s is at the roundabout on Highway 17 and Blue Jay Rd.

“The Parker’s in the downtown district stays packed and it’s one of the only overnight stores in this area,” said Deen. “It's not on the scale of a Walmart or a superstore but at the same time, to have access to certain basic amenities whenever you run out at one o'clock in the morning, there's something to be said about that for our community.”

Parker’s Kitchen gives residents access to breakfast, lunch and dinner items, an amenity that is needed in a town that does not have fast food restaurants within city limits.

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“Parker’s convenience stores are exactly that – convenient,” said Deen. “You've got access to hot meals and fuel at reasonable prices. They have also stepped up their automated service game, so it's not requiring as many staff members as a traditional convenience store. They move people in and out quicker. If you're going to a gas station, you're looking for speed, you're not looking to stay there all day. They do good works in communities too. I’ve spoken to Mr. Parker several times and he always been pleasurable.”

Empire Gym opens in Rincon

On Jan. 30, Empire Gym will hold a grand opening ceremony at 614 Towne Park Loop in Rincon. The fitness center specializes in workout programs and classes that are designed for long term health living.

Residents enjoy Planet Fitness on S. Columbia Dr., but City Manager Jonathan Lynn said it is always good for people to have more than one option.

“We are very fortunate to be getting something like Empire Gym that's going to be catered to a different audience that want that class structure and a targeted, smaller scale environment,” said Lynn. “It's going to benefit exactly what they're looking to do, whether it's classes or personal training.”

The addition of the gym will bolster the town’s message to eat, live, work and play in Rincon.

“It gives people one of those amenities where you're not leaving the city to go somewhere else,” said Lynn. “It's not in the same vein as making sure you have a grocery store, pharmacy and doctor's offices but it's very similar. If you don't have a place like Empire Gym, they are going somewhere else to get it. So why not have something here for them to keep everybody local?”

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached atlwilliams6@gannett.com.