SYCAMORE TOWNSHIP — Township officials envision a $14 million community recreation center that offers something for everyone, and they want township residents to invest in the dream that could come true by November 2004.

        At a special Saturday news conference, they will unveil plans for a one-story, 78,000-square-foot facility to be built behind the township administrative building on Kenwood Road.

        The new center promises to have meeting rooms for business professionals, a kitchen for wedding and birthday parties and athletic amenities that include a gymnasium with three basketball courts, an indoor track and pool, a climbing wall and an aerobics room.

        An “outdoor spray ground” will allow young tots to cavort through sprinkling water.

        “We envision it to be a family destination for the people in these areas,” township Administrator Michael Berens said. “We want to have a facility that's family friendly and has something for everyone, from those in preschool to senior citizens.”

        Here's the catch: Township officials need township residents' help.

        In November, voters will be asked to support a 1-mill levy that will generate $556,000 annually for the center's operating costs. The owner of a $100,000 home would pay about $30 per year, Mr. Berens said.

        Township trustees still must decide how to finance the razing of the former Blue Ash Elementary School and the construction of the new community center at its old address, 8522 Kenwood Road. About a year ago, the township paid $3 million to buy the 10-acre parcel that the school once called home.

        Township trustees could decide within weeks whether to finance the multimillion-dollar facility with bonds.

        But the whole project hinges on the levy. If voters say OK to new taxes, bidding for the project would begin next spring and construction would start in autumn 2003. If they don't ...

        “I probably couldn't support it, if the (tax) money's not there,” Trustee Cletus McDaniel said. “It's a beautiful center. It would be an asset for any community. (But) it's a decision that has to be made by the taxpayers in Sycamore Township.”

        A feasibility study conducted in the last year indicated that the vast majority of Sycamore's 20,000 residents favors the center's construction.

        There would be annual and per-day membership fees. Township trustees haven't discussed the amount yet, Mr. Berens said.

        A mile away, the Blue Ash YMCA charges every family a one-time fee of $150 and then monthly $65 membership fees. Single adults pay a one-time fee of $125 and then monthly $46 fees. Saturday's news conference will begin at 10 a.m. in the township's administrative building, 8540 Kenwood Road.

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