Community center group refines mission

PITTSFIELD – A newly formed group in Pittsfield began striving for its own identity Thursday night, charged with working toward building a regional community center.

For the first time since meetings began last fall, the town of Burnham was represented. Detroit has not sent any representatives, even though the center is planned as a regional facility, serving all three towns.

Pittsfield Town Manager Kathryn Ruth brought the group of volunteers up to speed on the history of community center efforts, which were under way as far back as 1971.

Most recently, three successive teams went to work in 1997, first as part of the town’s comprehensive planning process and then as separate teams dedicated to the center’s creation.

The Community Center Committee and the Community Center Development Team created a mission statement, identified what the community wanted from a center and whom it would serve, located ideal sites and conducted a marketing survey. A cost of $3 million was projected.

“The same things were discussed in 1971 as in 1997 as in today,” said Ruth.

But this group declared they were different and pledged “not to drop the ball.”

Referring to two previous community forums, Carrie Limeburner-Mountfort said, “The informational meetings are over. Now the work needs to get done.”

Paul Bertrand, who has served on two of the three previous center committees, said that leadership was going to be key. “We need someone to take the reins,” he advised.

Ruth said that someone could be hired if the town is successful in obtaining a Community Development Block Grant of up to $10,000 to hire a technical assistant. Due in March, the grant would provide for a feasibility study and funding strategies, both for capital costs and a center’s annual operating budget.

Such studies will be critical to building a center because most area residents appear to be concerned about the annual operating costs of such a facility.

Volunteers came forward Thursday night to research other community centers to see how they are funded, to create an e-mail master list of interested parties for notification of meetings and minutes, to identify foundations that could be used to fund construction, and to contact others in the community that could be assets to the committee.

The next meeting of the group will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, March 10, in the council chambers of the town office. Interested residents of Burnham, Detroit and Pittsfield are invited to volunteer.