A rendering of what a community center would look like if located near Wentworth School. Contributed / Scarborough Community Center Feasibility Study

A committee presented its study to the Town Council on what it would take to build a community center in Scarborough, and committee members were adamant that the project should move forward.

“It’s very important to me that this report doesn’t sit on the shelf like previous reports have,” said Patrick O’Reilly, chairman of the Community Center Advisory Committee, at the council’s Aug. 21 meeting. “Whatever the next steps are, I implore you to move to those next steps.”

Surveys of residents in recent years have indicated the majority would like to see a community center in town. A committee was formed to conduct a similar study in 2019, but the idea goes back further.

“A community center has been an identified desire, documented, since 1978,” said Community Services Director Todd Souza.

The committee and consultants from Utile Architecture & Planning said the best location for a community center would be where the skating ponds are near Wentworth School due to its sufficient size, central location and proximity to existing municipal parking lots. Other sites they considered as part of the study were Black Point Park, Memorial Park and the municipal tennis courts.

The cost to build a community center with three basketball courts, an elevated track, two pools, a multipurpose room, a fitness studio and more would be roughly $82 million. The committee provided an estimate of $85 million if the project were to go to voters in 2025 and $89 million if it were delayed until 2026.

A conceptual design of the first floor of a community center in Scarborough. Contributed / Scarborough Community Center Feasibility Study

The committee expects that, once built, the community center would be 96% self sufficient, costing over $2.5 million a year to run while bringing in $2.3 million in revenue per year.

Some councilors questioned the need to have two pools – one 25-yard, eight-lane pool suitable for swim meets and an additional pool for leisure.

In their research and tours of other community centers in the state, O’Reilly said, two pools allow for a broader range of uses and bring in more revenue.

“Everybody said the leisure pool is where the money is,” O’Reilly said. “It’s where you’re going to make the most bang for your buck: renting that facility out and having that as a draw for people to want to be members.”

Souza said the leisure pool allows members to swim while there is a meet going on and is more accessible for children because parts of it can be shallow.

“You’re shutting down the pool for most of the day and an evening in preparation for a swim meet, so you start taking away value,” Souza said.

Some councilors also asked if a turf field had been considered for the site. Souza said that would take space away from other programming.

“To add turf of a significant size, we’d be having to take up multiple spaces of that gym and cannibalize a lot of the activities that would happen,” he said.

He explained that turf fields are largely used in the evenings with limited activities, while basketball courts have a wider range of uses throughout the day.

“A wooden floor is the most flexible, programming wise,” he said.

A conceptual design of the second floor of a community center in Scarborough. Contributed / Scarborough Community Center Feasibility Study

The council praised the committee for its work. They were allocated $100,000 last year to conduct the feasibility study.

“I’ve seen a lot of these proposals,” Councilor Don Hamill said. “That is a tremendous product for $100,000.”

Councilors cautioned that the town has other priorities ahead of a community center.

“The question is where does this sit in our overall financial priorities?” Councilor Don Cushing said.

The town’s push for a solution to its overcrowded schools is likely to take precedence.

“I’ll come out and say what probably a lot of us here are at least thinking and maybe not willing to say out loud,” Council Chair Nick McGee said. “As much as I would love to see this for this community, I don’t see it happening before we get a school solution, and that’s just being completely blunt and honest.”

Some councilors also noted the proposed location for the community center could wind up being looked at for a new school if that’s the path the town’s School Building Advisory Committee takes.

“Building a new school and a community center should not be seen as an either-or decision, especially considering the different demographics they would serve,” Souza said. “These two projects, while distinct, complement each other in making a well-rounded, thriving community.

“The longer we wait, generations will not see a community center in this town.”