The Standish Kiwanis Club recently voted unanimously to donate land to the town of Standish for a community center.

According to the club’s President-elect Paul Mosley, a Memorandum of Understanding was drawn up between the town and the club and, pending a few minor changes in wording, was expected to be signed at the Community Center Committee Meeting held Thursday night, after this paper’s deadline.

The land is about a six-acre parcel on Route 25 between the club’s headquarters and BJ’s Variety. “The location is exciting,” said Standish Rec Director Linda Brooks, “because it has facilities there that would enhance the center, including trails, a ball field, and a beach facility.”

The committee appreciates the land for its central location and public water supply, said Mosley.

The town has had the vision for a community center for several years. When the new Standish Town Hall was completed, a proposal was made to utilize the old town hall as a community center. Although an ad hoc committee explored the idea, it determined that, with the problems of lead paint and asbestos inherent in the building, the town should sell the building to Fairpoint, who had expressed interest in buying it, and use the proceeds for a new community center.

Two years ago, the town formed the Community Center Committee to research centers in other communities, determine the specific requirements of Standish residents, and study the feasibility, both financially and practically, of such a facility in Standish.

The committee, consisting of two Town Council members, two Planning Board members, and five community members, worked closely with consultant Dana Anderson. In addition to Anderson’s 30 years experience as director of Parks and Recreation for South Portland, for the past 20 years Anderson has operated Parks and Leisure Services, Inc., a consulting firm specifically dealing with community center issues.

Anderson said he is “a really strong advocate of multi-generational community centers.” He recommended that the Standish group visit centers in other towns to get a feel for how they worked and what features they offered the community. Following his advice, the Standish committee toured centers in four Maine towns.

A year-and-a-half ago, the committee enlisted the help of the Bonny Eagle Key Club to conduct a weeklong telephone survey of Standish residents. After an initial training session and under specific guidelines, the teens made the phone calls with adult supervision.

According to Mosley, about 550 calls were made and the response to a community center in Standish was overwhelmingly favorable.

Actual groundbreaking is still a long way off. Before the Kiwanis Club signs the property over to the town, finalized plans for a Standish Community Center must go to a town vote to be approved by the residents.

But now that they have a location, Mosley said, the committee will focus on the design/build, maintenance, and operation costs necessary for the construction and upkeep of the facility, as well as on possible features requested by Standish residents in the survey.

Although those features include a variety of items, from a swimming pool to a kitchen, Mosley said there is one item that is clearly unwanted: according to survey results, residents don’t want a TV room.

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