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The Board of Aldermen and citizens debated July 20 the town’s plan to build a gym and whether residents want to pay more taxes to cover the cost.

Alderwoman Veronica Revels asked for the discussion at the Board of Aldermen meeting because she is opposed to the project and wants to survey citizens before the town begins building the gym.

“Recreation is a luxury in my opinion,” Revels said. “I think it’s not fiscally responsible.” She cited a 2006 town survey in which 67 percent of survey participants said they were not willing to pay new taxes to fund a recreation center.

Town Manager Ben Baxley said property taxes would need to go up 4 or 5 cents per $100 tax value — $60 to $75 a year for the owner of a $150,000 house — to fund these three planned capital projects:

• A vehicle storage and shop building for the public works department, estimated at $1.5 million.
• Renovation of the old public works building to create office and storage space for the Parks and Recreation Department and community meeting rooms, estimated at $600,000.
• A gym, estimated at $800,000.

The town is in the design phases for all three projects.

Gibsonville has been offered USDA grants, which should allow the town to get low-interest loans for the first two projects. However, the money cannot be used on the gym. The Holt Foundation has offered to pay for the gym floor and basketball goals, expected to be about 10 percent of the cost.

A handful of citizens spoke out in favor or against building the gym or asked the town to find other ways to finance the capital projects without raising taxes, such as using the profits the town earns from running two Guilford County parks.

“I think you should be careful with every single penny you spend,” Walid Nicola said. He said by spending the money on the design phase, the town will feel obligated to go ahead with the construction, even if the price tag is too high.

Mike Dupree, director of the town’s Parks and Recreation Department, said Gibsonville will have no winter program to offer children and teens without a new gym because the gym in the old Gibsonville Elementary School, which the town has been using for basketball, is falling apart. Guilford County Schools is not planning to renovate it, he said.

The town needs recreational programs to keep youth out of trouble, Dupree said.

“It’s not a luxury,” he said.

The town’s sports programs are open to Gibsonville residents and out-of-towners, Dupree said, and they help to boost Gibsonville’s economy.

“All those people come right down Main Street,” he said.

Alderman Ken Pleasants said the time may not be ideal for building a gym, but the town will be able to pay for it “as cheaply as we’ll ever be able to.”

The aldermen agreed to wait for the design work to be finished and take bids for the construction before taking further action.

The board discussed the possibility of using the town’s Connect-CTY system to survey town residents about the gym. The system uses e-mails and recorded messages to communicate with residents.

Contact Jamie Kennedy Jones at jamie.kennedy@news-record.com or 449-4610.