10 Pottstown YMCA Coaches Resign In Solidarity With Cook

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

POTTSTOWN — The Pottstown YMCA swim program suffered a major blow Wednesday night when the entire coaching staff of the Pottstown YMCA Seahawks swim team — 10 assistant coaches in all — submitted their resignation in the wake of the sudden dismissal of longtime Pottstown YMCA Seahawks head swim coach Kathy Cook on June 11.

Amy Agnew, Mark Agnew, Bill Draves, Catherine Fink, Michele Bauer, Alex Diehl, Andrew Piasecki and John Zimmerman marched as a group into the Pottstown YMCA shortly after 6 p.m. Wednesday to resign on the spot.

Two other coaches, Stacey Filippini and Mark Ottinger, were out of town Wednesday, but also resigned their posts.

Their letter of resignation to Pottstown YMCA Executive Director Dan Albert spells out why they quit the program.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20140702/10-pottstown-ymca-coaches-resign-in-solidarity-with-cook

Freedom Valley YMCA Members Approve Merger

English: Center City Philadelphia YMCA building. Now it looks like condos with the word “Metropolitan” over it’s doorway. On NRHP since December 2, 1980. 115 North 15th Street (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

LOWER PROVIDENCE — Several hundred members of the Freedom Valley YMCA approved a proposal to merge with the YMCA of Philadelphia & Vicinity in a vote Thursday night.  The final vote tally was 507 voting yes, 449 voting no, according to the tabulation on the Freedom Valley Y’s website.

The merger proposal had been presented to members attending a Monday night town hall meeting at the Spring Valley YMCA.  The proposal will merge the Freedom Valley YMCA, with locations in West Norriton, Phoenixville, Pottstown, Limerick and Pennsburg, with the larger Philadelphia YMCA, which has 10 locations in the Philadelphia region.

Proponents of the merger plan said it would allow the combined YMCAs to build a branch in Conshohocken, pay one national YMCA fee, tap into the larger corporate donor base of the Philadelphia YMCA and achieve cost savings with the larger organization.  Fees would not be increased due to the merger, members would continue using their “home” YMCA facilities and overcrowding would not be a by-product of the merger, officials said.

On Thursday night, YMCA officials provided bus service from three of the Freedom Valley YMCAs for members who wanted to vote during a two-hour period.

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http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20121116/NEWS01/121119504/freedom-valley-ymca-members-approve-merger-(video)#full_story