FAIRMONT– The Fairmont City Council discussed the direction of the new Community Center at their work session on Monday night. This has been a five-year project that has seen different steps taken along the timeline.

There was a presentation that consisted of key dates for the Community Center project. In June of 2016, a feasibility study was done to create the process of constructing a new Community Center. In November of 2016, there was a question on the ballot that stated, shall the City of Fairmont be authorized to impose a local option sales tax of one-half of one percent (1/2%) for 25 years or until $15,000,000 in revenues have been generated for the purpose of funding recreational amenities, trails, and/or a Fairmont Community Center? The vote was approved.

In May of 2017, the state approved the Local Option Sales Tax. In October of 2017, the council approved $125,000 for a community center business plan and placed the funds with the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) as the administrator. In September of 2018, the council approved allocating $600,000 of the local option sales tax to the community center annually.

In December of 2019, the council approved to commit $14,000,000 to the construction of the Community Center when the Community Center Committee raises an additional $6,000,000 in pledges to the Community Center. As part of this, the YMCA would operate the facility and enter into a lease agreement with the city. The council also approved the use of up to $50,000 of local option sales tax funding for the YMCA subject to entering into a consulting services agreement in a form acceptable to the city.

The community center was divided into two phases. Phase one included amenities such as a fieldhouse, cardio/weight room, an indoor pool, a group fitness room, a child watch room, a meeting room, administration and locker rooms. Phase two included the possibility of an ice rink with one or two sheets of ice.

“I’m in support of the community center for a number of reasons,” Council member Brittany Kawecki said. “One I just know from personally having small children that this is something families can enjoy. I also think that there’s something else to think about in what Fairmont needs and that’s people. We need to attract people and when you want to attract people from bigger communities like Mankato or the Twin Cities we need to have things that will attract them.”

Council member Michelle Miller was not in support of the Community Center. She has talked to people such as electricians and that the Community Center is not a make it or break it for them coming here.

“We have other programs here in town and I think there’s other things we can do,” Miller said. “But the Community Center that we have proposed personally I am not for it and I don’t think it’ll bring people to town.”

No motions were made since it was a Work Session, but the council held this to guide the future of the Community Center. Mayor Debbie Foster encouraged the council to continue to move forward with the Community Center.