News: Southport residents to vote on community center

UPDATE: Residents in the Town of Southport voted down a controversial new $3.5 million community center in a special referendum Monday.

About 2,200 residents -- representing a third of the registered voters in the town -- turned out at the Southport Town Hall for the vote.

There were 1,155 no votes cast and 1,045 yes votes, according to an unofficial count taken after the polls closed. That included absentee ballots. All the votes will be recounted to assure accuracy.

The referendum called for approval of $3.5 million to build a 27,000-square-foot, multiuse building, based on recommendations from a feasibility committee.

Town officials said the existing community center at Chapel Park in Pine City has outlived its usefulness and isn't large enough to handle the demand for recreational space.

But even though the town already has the funds set aside for the project, some residents claim it's too much money to spend on a new facility that only a small fraction of residents would use.

According to Town Board member Etta Kay Dewey, who opposes the project, only about 3 percent of the town's residents used the center in 2011.

The current building has one 1,370-square-foot room that is frequently booked, said town recreation supervisor David Ellis, along with a small kitchen and office space.

The center was rented 63 times in 2011, according to Dewey.

The new building would feature a multipurpose gym, indoor walking track, two community rooms, a full kitchen, small conference rooms and office space.

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