The Y has had disappointments before. A proposed partnership with the city of Wilson, which would merge two dreams -- for a full-service Y and for a new city recreation center with an indoor pool -- was rejected by the city. Later, the Y partnered with Wilson Medical Center for a combined facility, but the hospital pulled out of that deal.

Now the YMCA board has voted to move forward with plans for a gymnasium and wellness facility, postponing an indoor pool to a second phase of construction. That decision angered board member Paula Michalak, who cast the only dissenting vote, and Michalak resigned from the board.

Michalak had been one of the founders of the Wilson Y, and she is right that the inadequacy of aquatic facilities in Wilson was one of the driving factors behind the Y's initial growth. For Michalak and other swimming enthusiasts, the decision to build a Y without a pool is a disappointment.

Apparently the Y board will continue to look at the feasibility of making a pool part of the initial phase of construction. The Y is prudent to keep its options open at least until a community survey is complete.

Meanwhile, the city of Wilson has the land (something the Y does not have at this time) for a comprehensive recreation center. Construction of the Burt Gillette Athletic Complex has barely begun. Its soccer fields have been hosting games for three years, but most of the 113-acre site, which the city bought in 1999 for $575,000 (on a 4-3 vote of City Council) is undeveloped. The tract adjacent to Toisnot Park was intended as the site for a new recreational complex, including an indoor pool.

A facility of that magnitude is projected to cost $20 million, compared to $12 million to $14 million for a YMCA facility with a pool. Quiet discussions have been going on about a possible recreation bond issue, which, if passed, could make the city's new rec center with an indoor pool a reality within a relatively short time.

If city voters approve a recreation bond and the city's new pool is built, it would take some pressure off the Y to build a competing pool. Y enthusiasts probably would want their own pool at some point, but the community's need would be met.