The next step for a proposed community center in Galesburg is to decide what services will be offered there.
This comes after the city council approved issuing $5.3 million in bonds to fund a large portion of the project.
“We definitely want the center to be a place that’s utilized by everyone, including organizations that may need space or may need a platform for getting the word out,” said Mayor Peter Schwartzman.
The city had some initial conversations with social service agencies and non-profits about the community center, and many have shown interested in being involved.
Schwartzman said participation would help with operating costs and possibly open up grant opportunities to help fund the remainder of project.
The city also completed a survey of residents.
“One of the things that was mentioned as a high priority was what’s called a one-stop shop, and that’s really a location in the city where people can go to get information and perhaps different services,” Schwartzman said.
The city is not trying to duplicate services but provide a better means to access them, Schwartzman said.
Now the mayor will host a public discussion to continue that conversation at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at The Vault at Reserve Artisan Ales, 185 S. Kellogg St.
Schwartzman said he will make a short presentation about the community center, then open it up for questions.
Once it is determined what services will go in the community center, the project can move to a design phase.
The city council also approved the former Churchill Junior High as the site of the community center. It would cost $7.3 million to renovate Churchill for a community center, according to estimates.
However, the bond issue is not tied to any particular location, so other locations could be considered.
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