Batavia soundly defeats proposed recreation center

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BATAVIA – Proponents of a $36 million community recreation and aquatics center said the sour economy might have played a part in its sound defeat Tuesday.

“I’m sure the economy was a major part of the defeat,” said John Tilmon, co-chairman for Friends for Batavia’s Recreation and Aquatic Center.

Residents on Tuesday voted against the park district borrowing $36 million to build a community recreation and aquatics center at Harold Hall Quarry Beach. According to unofficial results, 4,568 residents voted “yes,” and 9,243 voted “no.”

Tilmon said the park district would like to hear residents’ worries about the proposal, such as whether they were concerned about the location. He said the park board will have to decide by February whether the referendum will come up for a vote again in April.

Resident Dan Anderson, who started the group Save Our Quarry in reaction to the park district’s plans, said he was not surprised by the vote given the sluggish economy.

“I do think there were a number of people who felt the way we did and were for the preservation of the quarry,” he said.

His wife, Irene, agreed.

“We love the park district,” she said. “Some of the facilities need updating. Quarry Park is a great resource. I think the economy is what sealed it.”

Dan Anderson suggested a private company would do better in running a recreation center than the park district.

“That way the town would gain taxes and the park district wouldn’t have to manage the business,” he said.

The district had proposed redeveloping the beach and upgrading the outdoor pool. The proposed 80,000-square-foot center would have included an indoor pool featuring two bodies of water separated by a full height glass wall.

The building also would have included a weight fitness center, three-court gymnasium, an elevated jogging track, and other amenities.

Figures provided by the park district showed that if voters approved the referendum, the project would cost a taxpayer with a home valued at $100,000 an extra $58.14 a year and an additional $229.43 a year for a resident with a $350,000 valued home.