Belmont aiming to raise funds for new community center

The council and the newly formed Belmont Community Foundation, a nonprofit working to raise funds for the construction and operation of a new community center, approved a memorandum of understanding between the two at the Jan. 24 council meeting. The agreement calls for the foundation to raise funds independently through a capital campaign and donor solicitation. The city and foundation are separate entities. According to a staff report, the foundation would then periodically transfer raised funds to the city.

“Just as when the Belmont library was built with the help of the community through the dedicated efforts of the Friends of the Belmont Library, we are pleased and fortunate that the Belmont Community Foundation has been formed to support the city’s recreation programs and facilities and dreams for a community center,” Belmont Parks and Recreations Director Brigitte Shearer said.

The current Barrett Community Center at 1835 Belburn Drive holds daycare, recreation classes and sports events throughout the week. However, deferred maintenance, age and needed upgrades have made replacing the building a priority for the City Council. The city began looking at financial options before the pandemic in 2019 but halted, given the economic circumstances. The city said there had been a 17% to 22% increase in costs since 2019, bringing the current price from around $57 million estimated before the pandemic to about $67 to $69 million. The space would have more amenities and likely serve as an emergency center and cooling station.

“Since then, the time has passed, and the city and community have endured a pandemic, and the cost of the project has increased to around $70 million,” Shearer said.

Belmont Community Foundation President Ulla Foehr estimated that the project would likely be around $80 million by the time construction is ready, which the foundation can’t pay on its own. Foehr, a former Parks and Recreation Commissioner, expects that paying for the rebuild will likely take a ballot initiative like a parcel tax in 2024, which would take Belmont citizens to bring forward. In the meantime, the foundation is raising money from businesses and has seen excitement about a potential new building.

“We are very excited about this partnership and looking forward to bringing the dream of a community center to fruition and working together with the whole community to raise funds to make that happen,” Foehr said.

Foehr said its early goal is to raise in the hundreds of thousands. As financial needs become more apparent regarding income following a ballot initiative, it hopes to raise millions. Foehr believes the demand is there for a flourishing community center, given the amount of use the current building gets. A simultaneous mission is to work with the Parks and Recreation Department to fund scholarships and special programs for Belmont camps and programs.

The council unanimously voted to approve the agreement at its Jan. 24 meeting. It also picked Mates to represent it at foundation meetings and serve as a liaison between the council and foundation. Mates prioritized renovating the old Barrett Community Center during her run for the at-large mayor position. Vice Mayor Davina Hurt was chosen to be the alternate liaison should Mates be unable to attend.

“I think it’s really important that we can reach our goal of creating this community center for Belmont,” Hurt said.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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