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WENTWORTH — There were more questions than answers Monday night when the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners discussed how to pay for the McMichael Civic Center at Rockingham Community College.

Should the decision to fund the project be left to a referendum? Is a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture the best way to go? Does the project fall under the realm of education?

“I’m personally not ready to make a decision,” Chairwoman Amelia Dallas said at the end of the discussion.

The civic center is the priority project on RCC’s long-range facilities master plan, college President Robert Keys told the commissioners. It will include a 1,000-seat performing arts center; gallery space; a business development center; and space for workforce training programs and seminars.

But with only $5 million raised, the civic center campaign has fallen far short of the $16.9 million needed to build it.

College officials asked the commissioners last month to consider taking out a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to pay for the center. Keys told the commissioners Monday that they would likely need to borrow $10 million to $11 million. Although officials will continue campaigning, Keys said it isn’t likely the entire amount can be raised privately in a timely fashion.

County Manager Tom Robinson told the commissioners that they may want to place a referendum on an upcoming ballot to gauge the community’s interest in going forward with the project.

Commissioners Vice Chair Harold Bass said most of the comments he has received about the project were against it, mainly because of the cost.

Bass also questioned how often the center would be used. Keys said he anticipated at least eight major performances a year and 156 events in the business development center. He said there also are some nonprofit groups interested in using space.

“Do you have commitments from these nonprofits?” Dallas asked.

Keys said no, but that he’s had discussions with both the United Way of Rockingham County and the county Partnership for Economic & Tourism Development.

The college submitted a prospectus to the Department of Agriculture and received word Monday that the civic center does qualify for a loan and grant that would be funded through stimulus money.

The center would cost about $285,000 annually to operate and generate $362,000 annually in revenue, Keys said. Although Keys called the numbers conservative, the center probably would not generate enough money to make a loan payment, he said.

The commissioners voted unanimously to table the discussion until their next meeting, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Nov. 23. They asked Robinson to prepare information about a possible referendum and to investigate the annual debt service on a 20- or 30-year loan from the Department of Agriculture.

Contact Jonnelle Davis at 627-4881, Ext. 126, or jonnelle.davis@news-record.com