Plans for a new community center in Seymour Lake Twp. Park are moving forward.
Last week, the Oxford Township Board voted 7-0 to authorize the parks and recreation department to issue a request for proposals for the center’s construction.
Officials were presented with plans calling for the renovation and expansion of the park’s existing maintenance building, located just east of the main entrance along Seymour Lake Rd.
The project includes a 1,864-square-foot community room capable of accommodating 124 people and a 1,885-square-foot senior citizens activities room with a 125-person capacity. These rooms would be connected and have a warming kitchen and restrooms between them.
The center would also contain a two-story space to house the parks and recreation department. The first floor would contain a lobby, reception area and three offices. The second floor would contain a fourth office, plus a conference room.
‘If you guys agree to this concept, we’d really like to get the ball rolling on getting some prices,? said Parks Director Ron Davis.
‘I think it looks great,? said Trustee Sue Bellairs.
‘I liked it, too,? said Treasurer Joe Ferrari.
Davis noted he’s shared the plans with his staff, some senior citizens and the parks and rec. commission.
‘Everybody’s pretty excited,? he said.
The senior citizens, according to Davis, are particularly looking forward to ‘the other opportunities that are going to come with it ? the outside activities.?
For example, two bocce ball courts and two horseshoe pits are shown on the plan.
Davis told officials he doesn’t want the center’s exterior to ‘look like the Clampets live there,? but he also doesn’t want to spend too much money on the facade.
‘I want to put all the money I can inside the building to benefit our seniors and whoever else comes,? he said.
Davis envisions potentially having amenities such as a computer lab and pool table.
Right now, the township has $420,713 earmarked for a community center. These are the funds the municipality netted from the Aug. 4 sale of the Oxford Veterans Memorial Civic Center (28 N. Washington St.) and 43-space parking lot behind it.
Due to a deed restriction put into place when the township bought the building in 1980, all sale proceeds must be used for the development of a community center.
In conjunction with the community center, the parks and rec. department is planning to construct a new 5,000-square-foot maintenance facility in Seymour Lake Park, further to the south and closer to Coats Rd.