W.A. Foster Center: What Mayor Pro-Tem, Rec Center panel chairman Chuck Allen says
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on September 8, 2008 1:39 PM
Goldsboro Mayor Pro-Tem and Recreation Center Committee Chairman Chuck Allen commented recently on the W.A. Foster Center and how it related to the new Community Recreation Center.
He acknowledged that the facility is "highly used" but noted that the center "definitely has some structural issues," and that he isn't sure if it is worth fixing up.
"The question is, how much money is it going to take to fix it and is it worth that much money to fix it, especially with the community center coming online in a couple of years?" he asked.
"Somebody needs to go look at W.A. Foster and see how bad it is. I don't know if we are talking about $50,000 or $250,000. I just think we need to look at the long-term feasibility of the property."
But, he said, he is in "no way advocating closing W.A. Foster."
"I just think we need to look at it. Have the Recreation and Parks Committee look at it. I have not said anything about closing the facility. I just said to look at it," he said. "And not only that, but all the facilities. That one just happens to be the most expensive one (to fix)."
The new recreation center, construction on which will likely begin later this year, will be built on South Center Street, not that far from the W.A. Foster Center, he said.
He said that residents living in the W.A. Foster area, if city officials would later decide to tear the building down, would still be within walking distance of the new center.
"How far is W.A. Foster from the community center? Six blocks? I mean come on," he said. "We've got the buses. I would be more worried about the older folks than the younger folks getting there.
"I'm not trying to displace anybody. I am just asking, can the community center be a replacement for W.A. Foster? If the committee says W.A. Foster is a stand-alone facility and is full even with the community center open, then we need to keep it that way."