GALESBURG, Ill. — The Galesburg City Council laid out much of its plan for the new community center in a Tuesday night meeting and got feedback from some residents who still have questions and concerns.
The Jan. 31 meeting saw the council discussing what the $7 million facility, to be located at the old Churchill Junior High School, might feature — potentially including plenty of recreational activities for all ages, like pool and ping-pong, as well as a place for people to eat.
"As a teen in Galesburg all my life, I've been to every single location that's appealing to young adults. Me and my friends commonly find ourselves asking the question, 'what do you want to do?'" a teen resident said.
"Come on, let's use common sense... let's get something going," another man said.
Despite the plans, debate on the project continues, as community members still have questions and concerns.
"It doesn't matter what we have if the kids can't get there," one woman said.
"I'm concerned with Churchill as a building," said another.
After the sale of the previous community center in 2013 and the burning down of the Boys and Girls Club in 2016, the city said that the goal is to fill the community's needs.
City officials estimate that running the community center will cost around $500,000 and hope that it can generate anywhere from $50,000 to $200 in revenue.
This PowerPoint slide, shared at the Tuesday night meeting, shows what the city hopes the new facility will include:
A community satisfaction story showed 62% of participating Galesburg residents said yes to getting a community center. For renovation: $5.3 million is from bonds, $1 million is from general funds (unspent "ARPA" dollars) and another $1 million from fundraising.
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