SYRACUSE - Plans for a community center at Lakeside Park were effectively set back to ground zero, members of the community learned during a public meeting Tuesday night.

With the decision by Lakeland Youth Center board of directors to withdraw from the project, announced at the park board meeting Monday, grant applications and design renderings must be redrawn. They weren't near completion for the April round of state grant applications in any case.

Tim Kelty, a consultant with R.P. Murphy and Associates, advised the council of the grant application process and gave results from a R.P. Murphy-generated survey regarding the community center.

The survey polled Syracuse residents over age 55, asking about a senior center located in a community center. More than 74 percent of the respondents were in favor of such a facility in that location. Five hundred and three surveys were sent, and 273, or 54 percent, were returned.

The working plans for the center were drawn with the assumption of LYC's participation, however, which would make it feasible to apply for Dekko Foundation funds.

Now the park board will have to draft a plan that excludes the youth center, and the building will probably be considerably scaled back from its original $2.6 million price tag.

The groups interested in the facility now are the museum board, a group of senior citizens and the park board, with the park board the only real generator of income, which comes from the taxpayers.

Town council member Barbara Carwile was against creating another tax burden.

"It's hard for me to support anything else on the tax rolls," she said. "With the passage of the Economic Development Income Tax and increase in the County Option Income Tax - and we don't know what reassessment will bring - why tax the people more?"

Nancy Deuhmig, a park board member, agreed she didn't want to be taxed out of her home either.

"Maybe we can have a small community center as a start and adjust to have a gym as a second phase," she said. "I hope you feel the park board can revamp it. We'll be back to you with positive plans."

Kelty said the plans weren't ready for the April round of grant applications anyway. Applications will be accepted again in July with awards announced in September and November.

Gary Gerard, a member of the LYC building committee, spoke about the not-for-profit organization's decision to decline the town's invitation to be a part of the community center project.

He said the youth center board had requested several items be addressed by town representatives - establishment of a governing board and lease agreement and LYC's autonomy - and those questions weren't answered.

"We've been asked to solicit funds in the community without those answers," Gerard said. "I'm trying to give you a sense of why we decided to withdraw."

Town counsel Robert Reed said those items would have been addressed in a lease agreement, with the town owning the building and the lessee making their own decisions and controlling their own area.

It was noted $75,000 per year was needed to run half the facility. The LYC could only commit to $30,000, leaving $45,000 to be raised to run that portion of the building annually.

"You're pulling out before those items could be addressed," said town council president Bill Cutter.

"I don't like the characterization that we're at fault," said Gerard.

Carwile said the youth center folks may have gotten smart because they couldn't afford to lease the facility.

"Our responsibility is to the youth of the community and what we're hearing [about the community center] hasn't been positive," Gerard said. "We're here to serve the youth and we decided to go on our own."

"You can call it buyer's remorse," said LYC board president Sherman Goldenberg. "We knew the shoe didn't fit. Few of our key stakeholders were excited about this."

Cutter noted the town was dedicated to the project.

Town council members are Bill Cutter, Barbara Carwile, Bill Hane, Paul Stoelting and Carol Koble. Koble was absent Tuesday. [[In-content Ad]]