NEW PORT RICHEY — Two years of wrangling over whether to proceed with renovations and an expansion of the New Port Richey Recreation and Aquatic Center are finally over, and city leaders have agreed to move forward with a major facelift for the 10-year-old facility.
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During a meeting Tuesday night, the New Port Richey City Council settled on a package for renovations and expansion at the center, at 6630 Van Buren St., that will cost a little more than $1.8 million. Plans include moving the facility’s fitness room from the back of the building and constructing a new one in the front, turning the existing fitness room into an activity area, building a child care center inside the facility, and constructing another activity room adjacent to the pool deck.
It is an effort to bring in more people and increase memberships at a facility that has hemorrhaged money since the city built it in 2007 for $14 million. Prior to the vote, City Manager Debbie Manns reported that the center costs the city $1 million a year to operate — a reality she called "unsustainable."
The council gave its approval, but in a 3-2 vote, after also hearing from several members of the public who called for the funding to go toward roads and infrastructure. It was a reflection of the controversy the improvement plan has stirred.
Initially, the council received a bid of $2.3 million in October 2015 for a much bigger expansion plan, which included a covered drop-off/pickup area and a revamp of the swimming pool deck. But the debate continued, primarily in response to opposition from council member Chopper Davis, and the cost estimate eventually went up by $300,000.
Davis has maintained his opposition all along, even as the city staff whittled the plan to $1.8 million. He voted against it Tuesday night, saying he believed the city has more pressing needs, suggesting an expenditure of $300,000 to improve the fitness area.
Deputy Mayor Bill Phillips, who has favored improvements to the facility, also voted against the funding. He presented a plan that could be accomplished within the existing building’s footprint — a plan he said would cost less than $1 million.
But frustration over time wasted, and a belief that the improvements will mean more money coming into the facility, won out with "yes" votes coming from Mayor Rob Marlowe and council members Judy DeBella Thomas and Jeff Starkey. Marlowe pointed out that Penny for Pasco will be the funding source, $1.1 million of which cannot legally be spent on roads.
"These things are sensible and will enhance the bottom line," DeBella Thomas said.
In other action Tuesday night:
• The council enacted a six-month moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries in the city as the state continues to debate how to roll out Amendment 2, which voters approved in November, legalizing medical marijuana in Florida. The council reduced a staff proposal of a one-year ban after hearing from several people in the audience who opposed the moratorium.
• Council members shot down, in a 3-2 vote, a proposed ordinance that would have enacted stricter codes on home exteriors in the city. Provisions would have included forcing residents to pressure wash sidewalks and houses found by code enforcement to have mold and mildew. Council members said it was "overreaching."
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