Community center plan questioned

Diana Sahagun

Friday, Nov. 23, 2001 | 9:27 a.m.

Plans for a proposed downtown community center that has been almost entirely funded are being stalled because Las Vegas Councilman Larry Brown insists the entire City Council must justify whether it is needed in the community.

The council has twice delayed a decision to spend $1.2 million in federal dollars to complete renovation of a historic former Baptist church that would be converted into the center.

Brown has questioned why the center -- which is not on the city's recently approved priority list for park and recreation projects -- is being pushed forward while other projects are waiting in the wings.

The council has already sunk $3 million in federal funds into the historic church, formerly known as the First Baptist Church, at the southwest corner of Ninth Street and Bridger Avenue next to the Las Vegas Academy. An additional $1.2 million in federal dollars is needed to complete the first phase of the project.

While the city has enjoyed excess revenue in the past, Brown insists that the council must continue with its approach of setting priorities for all park and recreation projects. The council must also address investing money in older areas while newer areas of the northwest are crying out for community centers and parks, he said.

In April 2000, the City Council approved purchase of the church with $2.2 million in federal funds, with a community center in mind. By the end of the year the council had voted additional federal money for rehabilitation and had rezoned the property from residential to commercial.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said the decision to purchase the church was prompted by a meeting with members of the Asian community who were looking for land for a community center. Goodman said their initial discussions were that if the city found them property, the Asian community would be responsible for all maintenance and operation costs.

But at a special June meeting to discuss park priorities, the downtown center was not designated as a top priority. Brown said the council must continue to prioritize projects so that all six wards are treated equally, and must justify why the downtown community center is needed over one in the northwest or other underserved areas.

"This project is not officially a project," Brown said, "It's a concept, we're looking into it, but the more we go down this road, we're going to be so far down with alleged commitments ... we're going to have to do it. And that is bureaucracy at its best and worst, where we go do something and then after the fact we justify why we're doing it."

Brown asked to have the item delayed another 30 days so the council can determine if the center is needed and attend a Dec. 3 special planning session to align the city's priorities with spending.

Councilman Gary Reese said he understood the entire council to be moving forward with the project when it approved the sale of the land. He said a community center is critical to the redevelopment of downtown and is needed to serve the new residents the city is trying to attract.

"I would hate to see us go through all these negotiations, getting these federal dollars to fund this, and then throwing it down the tube," Reese said. "To me, it's like we are giving up on the redevelopment of our downtown area. And this, to me, is part of the redevelopment of our downtown area."