This is a case of "Vaporware" if I've ever heard one.

For those not familiar with the term - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporware

The City owed the landlord money that it couldn't afford to pay so instead Healy bought the building-with money from the same budget he said couldn't pay the rent? And this is a historic building that will have to be dramatically and expensively altered to make it wheelchair accessible? And how many properties does Jersey City already own that could have been used for recreation? And here I used to think it was only outsiders who like to rape Jersey.

Yeah, this is like the new PS20 "groundbreaking" held in August 2012 in Greenville on Ocean Ave., where hizzonor attended and now we have a gravel patch. No apparent work since the ceremony.

Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

Once again, an upbeat announcement by Jersey City has resulted in a testy exchange between Mayor Jerramiah Healy's administration and mayoral hopeful City Councilman Steve Fulop's campaign.

Healy and state Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham today unveiled plans to transform the former YMCA at 654 Bergen Ave. into the city?s newest recreational facility. There isn?t any city funding yet slated for the project, but the city is working with a consultant to bring in corporate sponsorship and grants to pay the roughly $6 million cost of rehabbing the old building.

"Once completed the place will be the location in the city for recreation, culture and health and wellness programming,? said James Adams, the consultant working with the city on the project.

City spokeswoman Jennifer Morril said the former YMCA will once again be ?a jewel of Ward F.?

"This has been an ongoing process that included two unanimous votes by the City Council, including approval of the administration's effort to acquire the building and to hire a consultant to assist with programming and to devise a corporate solicitation package,? Morrill said.

But the timing of the announcement ? exactly three weeks before the May 14 city election, in which Fulop will try to unseat Healy ? has Fulop?s campaign crying foul.

"It's election time and as is the case with Journal Square or the AMB warehouse or this, Mayor Healy thinks all he needs to do is put on a hard hat to distract the public from his failed record,? said Fulop spokesman Bruno Tedeschi.

Earlier this month, Healy and Fulop tussled over the AMB warehouse property at the foot of Sip Avenue, where Healy appeared on April 10 for a ceremonial groundbreaking of an 800,000-square-foot warehouse. Healy has crowed that the warehouse will bring jobs, while Fulop has noted that the project was promised years ago.

In response to the jab from Fulop?s campaign, Morrill said Healy won?t stop governing the city just because there?s an election in three weeks.

"The renovated YMCA will touch many lives and Steve Fulop did not join us, but instead made it a political issue,? she said.

The property was home to the Jersey City YMCA until 1996. Last July, Corporation Counsel Bill Matiskoudis sent council members a memo recommending the city transform the facilty into a new recreational center.

The city had been renting a portion of the property, and when it stopped paying rent for budgetary reasons, the owner sued. Last year, the city settled the suit for $629,197 and is set now to take ownership.

The property has been appraised at $2.6 million, according to Matsikoudis? memo.