Residents press committee for transparency, traffic and cost details on proposed YMCA

A string of public speakers at the Lacey Township Committee meeting on April 20 urged the committee to provide clearer information about a proposed YMCA and broader township planning, citing traffic, financing and transparency concerns.

Regina DeCenzo, who identified herself as a Republican candidate for township committee, said mail‑in absentee ballots arrived for the June election and then questioned the YMCA proposal for a two‑story, 64,000‑square‑foot building near the new LMUA site. She told the committee that the meeting she attended focused on potential YMCA programs — pools, childcare, senior services and counseling — but omitted how the facility would be financed. She warned the township’s single‑lane access roads may not accommodate the influx of visitors from surrounding towns and requested more financial detail.

Resident James Tullier pressed for agenda transparency and asked why detailed ordinance language and documentation were not posted online; he also asked for clarification about reported capital work at Bamber and Deerhead Lake dams. The administration responded that engineering and permitting work is underway for dam repairs and that Bamber Lake was not slated for draining. The mayor said an economic report and renderings from the community forum are on display in town hall and that financing information and a memorandum of understanding will be developed before further commitments.

Another resident, Richard A. Bidnick, criticized the YMCA idea as a poor fit for the township given road capacity and rising local costs, and he urged fiscal caution; he also cited past failed municipal projects as part of his broader fiscal critique.

The committee said the YMCA concept will proceed through further review: the design information has been presented publicly, financing work is next, and the administration indicated any major funding commitments would be subject to future committee action and, as discussed, a possible referendum later in the year.