Many support, others question community center project
Feasibility studies expected to be done by June, supporter says
By JODIE GARCIA, Herald Staff Writer
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Though at least a few years from happening, many area residents said they support efforts to build a community center in Ottawa.
Still, questions about the project remain.
According to a recent online Herald poll, about 71 percent of respondents — 457 of 640 — said they supported efforts to bring a community center to Ottawa. About 23 percent or 147 voted “no,” about 2 percent or 17 said they didn’t know and about 3 percent or 19 said they didn’t care.
“I was really very pleased,” Ed York, one of the community center project leaders, said about the results.
The online poll was posted last week on the Herald’s Web site, www.ottawaherald.com. It should not be considered scientific and does not necessarily accurately reflect the intentions of area residents.
Some respondents posted questions about potential costs to build and operate a community center, its proposed location in south Ottawa and other issues.
“No, I do not support efforts to build a community center...” one respondent using the screen name “happyintellectual” wrote. “...The only ones that I could see benefiting for the community center would be the wealthy. Those of us who are already struggling to make a living can’t afford a higher tax burden for a community center that isn’t even going to benefit us...”
York said the idea that the community center will cause taxes to increase is a common misconception.
He said two-thirds of the building will be paid for by philanthropic efforts — donations from the community. The business model is not based on taxes, he said.
He said the Ottawa Community Partnership Inc., a newly formed group that includes each of the seven partners, has hired two companies to conduct interviews with area families who have the means and influence to support a center.
He said following a campaign for large-scale donors, the community center task force will have a general capital campaign. He said the task force would like to have about 70 percent of philanthropic dollars in hand before going to the general public.
York said another company is completing financial feasibility studies for each partner to ensure the partners can afford their respective spaces in the center. The studies will examine such aspects as the partners’ space needs, revenue and what capital funds they can bring to the project, he said.
The feasibility studies are expected to be completed by June, York said. He said the studies and information from interviews with potential donors will help the partners determine whether they can proceed as planned or whether they need to scale back or make other adjustments to the business model.
“That’s a very big and complicated process,” he said. “We can’t wait to see the results.”
York said once a plan is formalized, the task force will go public with it. He acknowledged there is an “information deficit” right now, but said it’s important to have all the necessary details worked out before releasing certain information to the public.
“We’re still three or four years down the road before we’d open the doors,” he said.
York said if completed, the community center and its seven partners would be the first such venture in the U.S. He said the most partners he’s seen for a similar project is three.
“It’s truly going to be a community center,” he said.
Herald staff writer Jodie Garcia can be e-mailed at jgarcia@ottawaherald.com.
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