North Huntingdon official wants to revisit rec center idea

More than 10 years after North Huntingdon voters rejected taking on debt to build a proposed $18 million community recreation center, a township official wants to take another look at the concept.

With the change in dynamics and demographics in the township over the past decade, Commissioner Jason Atwood said Wednesday he believes it’s worth revisiting.

Atwood said he spent a lot of time recently reviewing documents from Dan Miller, recreation and parks director, about the proposed community recreation center. Based on that review, Atwood said he realized any study “will be a slow-moving task” that will not be completed in a few weeks, few months or maybe not even by the end of this year.

The community recreation center envisioned in 2011 would have been about 60,000 square feet. It may have contained a swimming pool, day care area, gymnasiums, community rooms and a fitness center.

Atwood said he could see where the project “ballooned out” to where it got bigger than maybe people wanted or could afford.

“Everybody wants a Lamborghini,” Atwood said.

Commissioner Zachary Haigis, who was on the board when the proposed community center was rejected in November 2011, said he would be open to a study of the project but cautioned to “start small” and then grow from there.

Commissioner Richard Gray, who also was on the board in 2011, cautioned Atwood against involving township staff on the project. They’re short-handed because North Huntingdon has not hired a replacement for Jeff Silka, who resigned as manager in November.

“You can’t place any demands on his time,” Gray said, referring to Acting Manager Michael Turley.

The results of his study could be presented to the new township manager when that person is hired, Gray said.

North Huntingdon voters rejected assuming debt to build the community recreation center.

The referendum stated the project might cause the township to raise real estate taxes because the municipality would need to borrow money to build the center.

The township commissioners rejected having the municipality serve as a co-signer for a bond issue but opted for a referendum. The township was not committed to building the community center had the referendum passed and would have had 10 years to raise the money for the project.

Monthly membership was estimated to range from $21 to $37 per person. If the center did not generate the estimated $1 million annual debt service, the average household in the township would have to pay about $90 per year to make up for the shortfall.