On Thursday night, the Community Building Development Committee discussed the overall look and function of the proposed community center and the need for a general strategy for selling the idea of the building to Standish residents.
“It’s going to be a tough sale,” said Larry Simpson, the council representative on the board. “Any time there’s a large ticket item, there’s going to be a lot of contention.”
Standish residents are almost evenly divided on the issue, as the referendum for the purchase of the land on which the proposed community center would be built narrowly passed during the June 13 election.
“I think it’s a good thing for teenagers with nothing to do. It keeps them out of trouble,” said Debby Keith, a Standish resident.
“It’ll definitely give us more room,” said Greg Mehan, another resident who is a proponent of the community center.
Those who are against the building of a community center, like Standish resident Marilyn Grysk, echo concerns that the town needs to be more creative with the space they already have for sports and recreation, and put the money aside for other uses.
“Everyone’s saying that we need more space,” she said. “I’ve heard that argument before. We ought to look for a better alternative.”
One Standish resident, who wished to remain anonymous, recommended that private citizens and businesses provide the space the town needs, saving the town money.
But Simpson suggested during the meeting that the sale of the old town hall put Standish in an “excellent position” to cover construction costs.
After the committee drafts a proposal for the community center, an architect will review it and then offer schematics in addition to the cost for construction, which must be approved by the town. A referendum for the building may come as early as November 2007.
“We have to propose (the community center) to architects as soon as possible, because it may be three to four months before they get back to us,” said Linda Brooks, director of the recreation department.
The committee weighed the options of a “design-build” concept-where the architects will do most everything with little input from the town-against the idea of hiring someone from the town to oversee the construction. Simpson prefers that the town have a say as to how the center will look.
The committee provided a “wish list” on Thursday of concepts for the design of the building. If the community center is built without a pool, it should be designed so as to allow a pool to be added later, committee members suggested.
The committee also enthusiastically recommended a walking track to be installed above the gym, and rolling partitions to consolidate space on the gym floor.
The committee will continue to hash out specific details of the community center, as well as come up with a more comprehensive strategy to sell the idea of the building to the town in the coming months.
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