By ARCHIE MOUNTAIN
NEWPORT — Based on a very positive 5-0 vote by the Newport Board of Selectmen Monday night, the proposed Newport Community Center will be entering Round 2.
There will be more to discuss this time around, however. And it will also involve looking ahead and looking back at the same time.
Newport Recreation Director PJ Lovely attended Monday’s meeting and he focused directly on the issue.
“I don’t think it failed for lack of need,” he emphasized. “The current community center is in tough shape and will cost a lot of money to repair it,” he stated.
Lovely ask for guidance from the selectmen. “The need is not going to go away,” he emphasized.
At a townwide vote on May 14, the proposed $6.5 million Community Center needed 60 percent support to pass. It got 44.58 percent with 443 in favor and 553 against. Looking back, that appears to be the starting point for Round 2.
“The whole idea was to make something for everybody. Many said they believed in this project. It was just a bad year,” said Selectman Todd Fratzel, also a member of the Community Center Committee.
Along the path to the vote, the earlier projected tax rate to cover school spending in Newport took on a life by itself. At one hearing, a Newport taxpayer said he supported the new Community Center, not just this year.
“It takes time for people to get answers and raise more money,” Fratzel stated.
“We can’t take our foot off the gas,” Selectman Barry Connell said. “There was a lot of misinformation out there,” he added.
“It was a tough year all around; anything with a price tag on it failed. Maybe there was a lack of time to get to people opposing it,” said Selectman John Hooper II.
“I think the entire project looked too large for this community,” said John Lunn, a spectator. “This community is looking for space for kids to play and a gymnasium,” Lunn continued.
“We need to work harder. It’s not a monstrous facility,” Fratzel responded. “It would be more expensive to renovate a building and put on an addition,” Fratzel related. Later in the discussion he said the project cost could increase by 6 or 7 percent in the next year.
Former Newport Recreation Director Larry Flint said this is an investment in the community. “We have to be visionaries,” he said.
Fratzel said the next step is for the Community Center Committee to meet and map out future plans and check to see of all the earlier monetary pledges will remain.
If the Community Center got a favorable vote, the first tax payment on the bond note wouldn’t crop up during the upcoming tax year it was noted many times. In the end, however, it was the No. 1 issue to overcome.
So far, $1.7 million has been raised toward a goal of $3 million, which would leave $3.5 million to borrow once the Community Center gets the support of Newport voters.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.