Township to Discuss Plymouth Arts and Recreation Complex Tuesday

"We are one Plymouth."

That has been the message members of the Plymouth Arts and Recreation Complex Steering Committee have been trying to convey to the Plymouth Township Board of Trustees.

While both the City of Plymouth and Plymouth-Canton Schools have both made resolutions work with the PARC Committee to rehabilitate Central Middle School for recreational use after it closes in 2015, Plymouth Township has been slow to show any support.

Treasurer Ron Edwards laid out a plan at a board meeting in November for the township to have its own recreational facility, instead of residents having to travel to the City of Plymouth to find recreational activities.

Members of the Board of Trustees will discuss both a recreation needs assessment survey for township residents as well as the PARC project during its meeting Tuesay night. 

The PARC Committee is asking residents in support of saving the Central property and working together to create The PARC, to attend the Board meeting and speak during Public comments.

"We need the township to participate in this project to make it financially feasible, and certainly that's much easier if we've got the township's governing body, the Board of Trustees, on board to at least help us assess the feasibility of the project," said Don Soenen, spokesperson for the PARC Committee. 

Soenen said ultimately, the decision should be left to the voters.

"Even if individuals on the board, or the board as a whole are not really in favor of the project, we would expect on a project of this magnitude and this significance, that they would allow the voters to have a say," he said. "If the voters approve of the project, then the township would need to agree to participate to form an authority with the city, similar to the library, in order to own and operate the facility going forward."

Soenen was originally scheduled to give his presentation on the PARC project during a special meeting Jan. 7, which was cancelled due to inclement weather. Soenen says he is not sure if he will be able to make a presentation at Tuesday's meeting. 

"I've never given a formal presentation (to the board), I've talked to some board members individually," he said. "I think that's unfortunate. They really do need to be able to hear the entire story in-depth."

Additionally, PARC Steering Committee will hold a meeting Jan. 27 to update community members on the project. 

The meeting will update community members where the PARC project stands and the committee's plans going forward. Soenen said members of the feasibility team consisting of representatives from the various entities will be identified and introduced. 

Check back with Plymouth-Canton Patch for updates on this story.