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Sweden Community Center coming together
A generous donation by an anonymous benefactor will help the Town of Sweden realize a dream of opening a community center. The site of the former Golden Heights Christian Center Church building was donated to the Town of Sweden with the stipulation the building be converted to a center that offered a wide range of recreation activities to residents and their families, Sweden Supervisor Nat "Buddy" Lester said. "We hope to offer unlimited activities," Lester said. "Everything from volleyball to Jazzercise and other recreational opportunities for the kids." The building, which is valued at $2.5 million, had been gifted to the town, Lester said. The donor purchased it for $600,000, he said. "We have money in the budget and we anticipate that between donations and activity fees it will pay for itself," he said. Lester said the towns of Hamlin, Sweden, Clarkson and the Village of Brockport formed a committee to investigate the feasibility of jointly owning, operating and supporting the community complex. The 30,000 square foot building is anticipated to take the place of the indoor facilities the municipalities had utilized for joint recreation projects. A basketball court was constructed complete with new flooring, hoops, lighting and press booth. Fred and Robert Webster had spent the past three weeks donating their time to installing new flooring in the entranceway of the building. "The recreation center is needed for the kids," Robert said. "I went through the rec program when I was a kid so I like knowing I am giving back to the community." Fred said the center would cover programs for the kids "from A to Z." A recent clean-up weekend saw more than 60 people come out to sweep, mop, paint, clean bathrooms and wash windows, Lester said. "It was so encouraging to see people from all age groups and all towns come out to help with the clean up," he said. While officials from Clarkson, Hamlin and Brockport are still mulling over the extent of their participation in the program, Lester said Sweden is moving forward with the project. "The municipalities have to feel comfortable with the answers we give them," he said. "So far, from the visitors we have had here, we’ve had all positive comments … it’s very encouraging." A committee made up of representatives from each of the communities began looking into the need for a community center about a year ago. Representatives from the committee recently recommended that the Golden Heights facility be utilized for the center, Lester said. "We’re asking for a $10,000 commitment from each of the municipalities," he said. "The rest of the funds necessary for running the center will come from user fees." Brockport Mayor Josephine Matela said while Brockport officials appreciate the donor’s generous gift, they have questions they need answered to before they can commit to spending taxpayer dollars to fund the program. "If this is something that the community needs and wants and can afford to pay for, then we are in favor of it," she said. "There are just some questions that need answers." Matela said the board needs to know what the extent of Brockport’s financial participation would be once the $40,000 has been spent. Note: Calls to Clarkson and Hamlin officials regarding their potential participation in the project were not returned by press time.
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