The Town of Petrolia is in talks with the YMCA to run the Oil Heritage District Community Centre.

The town and the Y made the announcement in a news release at 5 pm Wednesday afternoon, 19 hours before the Y begins public consultations.

In a news release, the town says they have been in “early discussions” with the Y which have been “positive and reflect the opportunity to pursue the health and wellness focus that both council and staff have for Petrolia.”

The news release goes on to say staff at The Centre “are being provided notice of the discussions” and the town says the Y has committed to providing first consideration to all “current, qualified staff…to fulfill all available roles.”

In the Y’s frequently asked questions section it says; “The YMCA will accept applications from existing town staff and will conduct a Job Fair specifically for them. The YMCA is rooted in the communities we serve and we value the skills of current centre employees. Existing town staff will have first opportunity to be interviewed for and considered for job openings with the YMCA in Petrolia. In all hiring decisions, the YMCA will apply its high organizational standards to the recruitment, training, and deployment of its staff team.”

The news release doesn’t state if the same number of jobs will be available.

On fees, the news release the town says the Y will develop all inclusive fees, based on existing models in the region and based on community feed back.

It also adds programming may change.

The Y’s leadership will meet with The Boomers Club at The Centre Thursday at noon to talk about the possiblities. A series of public – and some private – meetings have been set up. The Y is scheduled to present a proposal to the town in December and could take over operation of The Centre – which would continued to be owned by the town – by March.

Town staff were not immediately available for comment.