CHARLOTTE — For the first time, Channel 9 is earing from the man who donated the land that later became a YMCA in Ballantyne.
[ READ MORE: Local county leaders say they tried to buy Morrison YMCA but were denied ]
Channel 9 has told you about neighbors trying to stop the impending sale of the Morrison Family YMCA to a local church.
Now, the grandson of the branch’s namesake told Channel 9’s Gina Esposito he hopes the Y reconsiders.
“My family, they wanted to improve the community, make it better,” said Cameron Harris, who donated land to help build the Morrison YMCA.
Harris’ family owned a lot of land in south Charlotte thanks to his grandfather, Cameron Morrison, a former governor of North Carolina.
He says some of it was sold to build SouthPark Mall, while large chunks were donated for parks, schools, libraries and YMCAs.
“He had purchased 1,000 acres in Ballantyne,” Harris said.
In 1999, the Morrison YMCA opened after Harris says he donated 90 acres to Mecklenburg County. There were land swaps, and it became a joint venture with the Y.
In our Channel 9 archives, Channel 9 found video from 2001 when the branch added a pool.
“It’s been really nice,” Harris said. “We’ve enjoyed the Y. And what we’ve enjoyed more is what it’s done for the community.”
Harris says his father loved the Y as a child.
He says his family also donated land to support the Harris YMCA in south Charlotte, named after his father.
“It does make you feel good about it,” he said. “But it also irritates you when you feel like the trust of the community has been tested, and it’s unnecessary, quite frankly.”
In June, the YMCA announced it was selling the Morrison Y to a church for $42.5 million, with plans to reinvest most of the money back into south Charlotte.
Harris believes it creates a hole in the community that can’t be replaced.
“They might try and piecemeal it, but you’ve got it all together right there, and it’s working. People love that Y,” Harris said.
Esposito asked Harris what he would like to see happen.
“I think they need to take a look at it again, and everybody needs to look at it again,” Harris said.
Harris says his family didn’t help provide the land and money simply to create a valuable piece of real estate.
He says it was all about creating a community, and the Morrison Y did that.
“It’s been the personification of what a Y should look like,” he said.
The sale is expected to close next summer.
Last week, a Mecklenburg County commissioner told Esposito that the county offered to buy the YMCA branch.
The YMCA said that offer came after it had already voted to accept the church’s deal.