I’m hearing that the downtown YMCA may be relocated to Maritime Park. There has been a concerted effort to find a suitable,high-traffic replacement for the maritime museum. The park was originally designed to have a conference center and maritime museum that would have been built and operated by UWF. However, the university decided not to do either because of the uncertainty of its budget.
The Y will be built entirely with private donations. I’m hearing that it will pay land lease fees. However, the improvements (e.g., building and equipment) will not be taxed because it is a non-profit. I don’t think the Maritime Museum would have paid lease fees or ad valorem.
If this rumor proves true, it will have to be approved by the CMPA board and the Pensacola City Council.
