About 45 East Lansing residents convened Monday to discuss a single question — “What do you most want representatives of the city to think about as they plan for the future of the Bailey Community Center?”
The meeting was the first part of an open community input process to brainstorm ideas for the soon-to-be-closed building. The public discussion follows city council’s decision in January to discontinue the early age child care program and close the building it operated out of — Bailey Community Center.
Doak Bloss, health equity and social justice coordinator for the Ingham County Health Department, was chosen by City Council to facilitate the discussion based on his experience in other community dialogues.
“It’s very heartening to see this kind of turnout,” Bloss said before the session began.
Passionate discussions were held, as several residents questioned the transparency of council members’ plans for the building. Common concerns echoed throughout the evening included the operating costs of the building, maintaining that the building remains city property and the effect this might have on Bailey Park, which council members said would not be altered as part of the plan.
Still, residents remained skeptical that a private developer would respect that wish and stay away from the park if they were given control of the building. These concerns were strengthened by a resident pointing out that some city maps identify both the building and the green space surrounding it as a whole unit called Bailey Park.
A consensus was clear that residents felt strongly about the city retaining the building and not selling or destroying it.
This attitude clearly contradicts the city’s earlier consideration of multiple third-party organizations who expressed interest in purchasing Bailey Community Center. The groups included an independent public school, private daycare and local housing partnership.
However, the council decided to hear community feedback before moving forward with a decision on any proposal.
“We need to look at solutions that don’t place a financial burden on the city,” said Tim Dempsey, director of planning, building and development. “We all know it’s not realistic to invest a million dollars in renovating the building. We understand that the constraints are significant and it gets harder as the numbers get large.”
Council members explained that utilities, among other things, would need to be updated to keep the building running after it closes in September. Tim McCaffrey, director of parks and recreation, estimated it would cost about $500,000 to renovate the building back up to code.
“Long-term thinking was implicit in all of this discussion,” said Erik Altmann, an East Lansing resident and MSU professor. “That building is going to outlast all of us. We should be thinking 60 to 70 years ahead. We should think about investing in a historic building in a prime location if that’s what it takes.”
A second discussion is scheduled for May 4. The written responses gathered from citizens will be used to curate discussion topics based on the focus question.
