It appears Oxford Township could get a new community center after all, albeit on a much, much more modest scale than the $20 million proposal rejected by voters last year.
Last week, the township board voted 7-0 to direct the township parks and recreation department ‘to devise a formal plan? with cost estimates for a potential community center. at Seymour Lake Township Park. Officials allocated $5,000 to cover the necessary consultant costs.
Ron Davis, director of the township parks and recreation department, presented the board with a concept plan.
‘I think it would be a huge asset and it would be a step in the right direction as far as providing a community area for our seniors and residents,? he said.
The plan calls for renovating and expanding the current maintenance building, located near the park’s entrance, so it can house new offices for the parks and recreation department, a multipurpose community room, a senior citizen activities room and a warming kitchen.
Between the existing structure and the proposed addition, the community center would be approximately 5,600 square feet.
Outside the building, the concept plan shows shuffleboard courts, horseshoe pits and a gazebo.
Having a dedicated space for senior citizens inside a park would finally enable the parks and recreation department to coordinate both indoor and outdoor programming for them, according to Davis.
‘Seniors nowadays want to be active,? he said. ‘They don’t want to sit around and play cards and crochet.?
Being in the park could provide a ‘tremendous amount of opportunities? for seniors including sand volleyball, disc golf, hiking, walking and cross-country skiing, Davis noted.
The senior activities area would include a warming kitchen, but Davis assured it would be nothing capable of, for example, catering a wedding reception.
‘I would envision a kitchen like you have at home,? he explained. ‘I’m not talking commercial because you’re opening up a whole other can of worms as far as permits and licensing.?
As for the community room, Davis indicated it would essentially be a large, open space that could accommodate exercise classes, meetings, family gatherings and a variety of recreation programs for children and adults. He told the board this room would be open to everybody throughout the day.
‘Currently, we don’t have (anything like) that,? Davis said.
The prospect of finally moving the parks and recreation offices out of the space that’s currently being leased inside the village’s municipal complex on W. Burdick St. is an exciting one to Davis.
‘It’s always been a goal of mine here, as the parks and rec. director, to have some type of office that we can call our own,? he said. ‘I think we’re the only entity, besides (Oxford Community Television) now, that doesn’t have a place.?
Davis told township officials there’s better things to do with the rent money he’s currently paying to the village.
‘I’d rather be taking that $1,300 a month and putting it back into a playground somewhere,? he said.
The concept plan calls for a two-story space to house the department. Two offices, a reception area and lobby would occupy the first floor, while the upper level would contain the director’s office and a staff lounge, according to Davis.
‘That would give us more office space than we currently have,? he said.
Along with constructing a community center, the parks and recreation department would need to replace its maintenance building.
A new 5,000-square-foot facility, complete with a 1,536-square-foot open shed, located further south in the park, near Coats Rd., was proposed. Back in 2011, the parks and recreation department received a $215,908 bid to construct this building.
‘We have maintenance equipment strewn around the community because our current facility can’t house all of our equipment,? Davis explained. ‘This is not a dream, this is something that is a need.?
Some township board members expressed their desire to see ‘hard numbers? before potentially moving forward with the project.
Davis agreed, but noted he wanted to at least pitch the concept to them before getting too heavily invested in it.
‘I didn’t want to spend money without everybody being on the same page,? he said. ‘That just doesn’t make sense.?
Once the township board and parks/rec. department obtain all the cost estimates, if they choose to proceed, officials would have to work out how to pay for everything.
Right now, the township has $420,713 earmarked for a community center. These are the funds it netted from last month’s sale of the Oxford Veterans Memorial Civic Center (commonly referred to as the Vets Hall), located at 28 N. Washington St., and the 43-space parking lot behind it.
Davis noted the parks and recreation department has $160,000 in reserve monies.
‘We don’t have enough to do this thing ourselves,? he said.
‘We’re doing all we can right now with what we have,? Davis later added.
Township officials would like to build a new facility to house senior activities as soon as possible. Local seniors used to gather and recreate at the Vets Hall until it was sold.
The village has been temporarily allowing seniors to play bingo and euchre in its W. Burdick St. community room on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Last week, council voted 5-0 to continue this arrangement through June 30, 2016.