Citizens on Tuesday night spoke for and against the proposed expansion of Davidson IB Middle School into a shared school and recreation center. At the monthly Town Board work session, some called it a “historic opportunity” for the town and school to get a better facility than either could afford alone. But others questioned the need and expense of the $7.6 million project.

Whatever the sentiment, the project appears to be facing major hurdles. It’s not clear how the town might pay for its $4 million share. And Davidson is under pressure to make a decision quickly: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools wants to move ahead soon with either the full-fledged project or a simpler renovation of the aging building at 251 South St.

It’s unlikely major issues can be resolved in time for the board to vote at its next meeting, June 10, Town Manager Leamon Brice said. “I don’t see how we can do it by June 10,” he said.

Nonetheless, town officials will meet school officials again in the coming days as they try to clarify both the scope of the project and how the two sides would cooperate, Mr. Brice said. The town and school are drafting a joint-use agreement, which officials have been hoping to present to the town board for a vote on June 10.

CMS architect Anthony Ansaldo speaks about the rec center proposal during Tuesday’s meeting, alongside Parks Director Steve Fraher. (BILL GIDUZ photo)

COMMUNITY CENTER CONCEPT

Davidson and CMS have been discussing a proposal to take advantage of the school system’s renovation plans by expanding the project to include a community recreation center – something the town has been considering for about 15 years.

The aging building once housed Davidson Elementary and in recent years has been home to the successful international baccalaureate program for grades 6-8. Voters last November approved a school bond package that includes $3.6 million for repairs and upgrades at the building, including a modern heating/cooling system and auditorium renovations.

Under the joint-use proposal unveiled two weeks ago, the school would continue to house the IB program, and would be expanded to include permanent space for Davidson Parks & Recreation offices and programs, art and fitness studios and a gym. The existing gym would be refashioned as a cafeteria.

At the June 13 Town Board meeting, several speakers spoke in favor of the project and town officials recapped the history of community center planning in town. (See May 14, 2008, “Town, CMS consider joint IB school project” )

The town has some money in hand to help pay for the center. Planning Director Kris Krider said the town has close to $400,000 collected under its Affordable Public Facilities Ordinance – money developers have paid toward town services and amenities needed because of growth. And the town would be able to use money it now pays as rent on the Armour Street Parks & Rec offices – about $60,000 a year, according to Parks Director Steve Fraher.

QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS

But after Tuesday’s meeting, Mr. Brice said many questions are still unanswered. The town must figure out how to pay for the portion of the project it cannot currently fund, and determine how much it can afford. And it would like to study whether the project can be scaled back or built in phases.

Several citizens Tuesday night warned the town not to move too quickly or questioned whether the town needs or can afford a community center now.

“I know the town needs a community center. My concern is taxes. Davidson pays the second highest tax rate in the county,” said Lu Pierotti, of Cathey Street.

She said she lives on a fixed income, and worries the town would have to raise taxes to pay for the center. “If you can’t pay your taxes at the end of the year, how can you afford to still live here?” she asked.

Wendy Readling, of Pinecrest Street, said the community center would put the town in competition with the Lake Norman YMCA, in Cornelius, and noted that the town has other gyms, auditoriums and community centers. “What are we going to use this space for? Are we trying to do something that private business is already doing?”

Mr. Fraher responded: “We’re trying to provide public recreation services that are available to all people. There’s no membership requirements to them and no other types of affiliation and the citizens of the community can come and participate on a regular basis.”

Town Board member Laurie Venzon then asked a philosophical question about public recreation. “Why do we have to do that?” Ms. Venzon asked. “Why can’t (citizens) take advantage of the Y? What’s the philosophy behind why the government, why the town has to provide that to everybody?”

Mr. Fraher replied: “Because public recreation is there for all the citizens, no matter what their means are, compared to going to a private health club or a private entity or the YMCA, where you have membership fees.”

Town Board member Margo Williams disagreed that the Lake Norman YMCA can handle the town’s recreation needs. When the Y was built in 1990, she said, Davidson was the biggest of the three towns with a population just over 3,000. Now, the area’s population has multiplied, and “the Y is no longer adequate to meet the needs of such a fast growing community.”

Mr. Fraher also said gym space currently available in town is inadequate, particularly for older youth and adult programs.

Ed Conway, of the McConnell neighborhood, worried that the town was trying to make a decision too quickly. “It seems like a short time line. A decision of this magnitude … it’s not prudent of us to make a decision quickly,” he said.

Town Board member Bill Johnson agreed. “I just don’t see how we can put this thing to rest in three weeks,” he said near the end of the discussion.

Anthony Ansaldo, chief architect of CMS, said the town might be able to buy some time by appealing to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board, though he urged the town board not to delay for long.

After outlining some of the town’s many unanswered questions, Mr. Johnson said, “It’s a leap of faith right now, and the question is how much flexibility to do we have for a leap of faith and where’s the risk avoidance and risk actuality?”

SOME SEE OPPORTUNITY

Finances aside, many speakers said they like the idea of a recreation center at the IB school, and urged the Town Board to consider the project.

“I do think there’s an advantage and a historic opportunity to have everything in one centralized location that people know where to go. This is where the community comes together,” said Suzanne Churchill, who lives on South Street near the school.

“This is a historic building and it has a town presence that’s connected to the town green and the library and the schools. This just helps to unify that and take advantage of that, at a time when most downtowns are eviscerated in the Wal-Mart-ization of the rest of the world. … It’s a civic opportunity,” Ms. Churchill said.

She urged the designers to try and make the building a landmark, perhaps with environmentally friendly technologies.

The recreation center proposal does have one missing ingredient long on Davidson’s civic wish list, according to some speakers: a public swimming pool.

Mr. Fraher said the cost of a pool had kept it out of the design. It would add 50 percent more to the cost, he said.

“I realize it’s big bucks,” said resident Loretta Wertheimer. “But this is an ideal location.”

WORRIES ABOUT THE WOODS

Throughout Tuesday’s discussions, speakers for or against the project asked the town and the school system to protect the wooded habitat and trails behind the IB school.

“I think this is an amazingly wonderful thing,” Mary Jo Clark, of Woodland Street, said of the project. “I’m concerned that we’ll take out that trail.” She said the trails have been there for many years and Boy Scouts recently constructed a new trail that allows students to walk through the woods from Lorimer Road to the South Street schools. Jennifer Stasack of Hillside Drive talked about seeing a group of deer in the woods on Mother’s Day.

Roy Alexander, executive director of the Davidson Lands Conservancy, said, “I applaud the joint-use concept, and I think the design is going to work very well.” But he urged officials to reconsider plans to for a parking lot behind the school that would put “so much pavement down in the woods.”

The plan calls for a new passage and parking lot behind the school on what is now a grassy trail. Buses would use enter the school grounds from Hillside Drive and continue onto Cathey Street.

“The last thing the central part of Davidson needs is less woods and more pavement,” Mr. Alexander said.

Mr. Alexander suggested approaching nearby Davidson United Methodist Church about leasing parking spaces, to eliminate the need for the parking lot.

Among those who spoke in support of the project was Jerry Hancock, of Davidson Landing, who said he also was representing the Methodist church. He said the church might be willing to share its parking lot with the school/rec center in exchange for being allowed to use the facility.

At the end of the discussion, he told board members that a recreation center could have a positive effect on the quality of life in Davidson. Former Mayor Randy Kincaid has talked a lot about the need for community building, he said. “I believe this is one part of that. It’s going to be difficult to continue to do community building if we put all our money into pavement and other things that we can’t really appreciate with each other,” Mr. Hancock said.

“This is something that is going to be tough. All the questions that were raised here tonight were real and all the details have to be worked out are real. But I think it’s something that deserves a lot of serious thought and I would be very much in favor of it,” he said.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

May 14, 2008, “Town, CMS consider joint IB school project”