SYRACUSE - New ideas can bring changes to any plans.

Such was the case Saturday when the Lakeland Youth Center and the Syracuse Park Board met with the community center architect to discuss changes in the plans for the center.

Many of the changes the Youth Center wanted dealt with security and the gym.

"We went and visited several places in the area to get a couple of ideas," incoming youth center board vice president David Granger said.

He said the people who run a community center in Ligonier said visibility is important and they recommended one central point where there can be visibility and control for the center director or office workers. He suggested having a window looking off to the gym from the director's office.

He also said they were told to have their reception area near the bathrooms. The reception area then could act as a kind of toll gate.

Current board president Scott Abbs suggested keeping lockers separate from the bathrooms.

Youth Center Executive Director Brian Rensberger said, "I think there should be the ability to come in with a lock and lock a locker." He said it is probably a good idea to keep the bathroom and lockers separate from one another because of vandalism.

The architect, Steve Alexander, of Prince-Alexander architects, said if any changes are made, the board needs to be made aware of the possible cost increase.

Incoming youth center president Sherman Goldenberg said there is a concern about storage because the youth center currently doesn't have enough.

Another concern for the youth center board is the size of the gym. As it stands now, Granger said, with two basketball courts, there is little or no room for spectators.

Alexander said for single court play there is, but for two cross-court games, there's no additional room unless the exterior wall is reworked. He said in the future, a side wall can be built to allow for spectators but for now, they should build only what's minimally required.

Abbs said the board wants to look at the plans again after the changes are made.

Alexander said the plans and specifications need to be completed by the end of February to be bid on in March. Simultaneously, there's a huge commitment of funds that need to be made.

Goldenberg said if the funding doesn't meet the youth center's specifications, they can't be in the community center.

"While we are proceeding, we are proceeding carefully. We're not going to sell our property until we see the skies open up," he said.

Most of the changes discussed at the meeting were changes in location of the activity rooms, bathrooms, offices and locker rooms. The youth center half of the community center will be slightly shifted toward Ind. 13 to allow for expansion on the lake side in the future.

The architect drew a rough sketch of the changes and Granger said, "I like what I'm seeing."

During public discussion - and only three people showed up - Mike Sorso said he thinks spending $2.5 million is too much: "You can build the Taj Mahal for that."

Park board member Jenny Lambright said most of the cost is the gym, and a gym can't be built cheaply.

The architect said the building is 25,000 square feet and they hope to open bids at $1.7 to $1.8 million. With professional fees, the cost will rise to $2.3 million. The youth center, he said, is approximately 48 percent of the total building space.

Lambright also told Sorso the youth center will take care of its own maintenance costs.

The community center will be at Lakeside Park on Long Drive, Syracuse. [[In-content Ad]]