Brooklyn Center Voters to Decide On Sales Tax to Pay for Community Center Upgrades

Brooklyn Center voters will decide in November whether to approve a half-percent sales tax increase to help fund improvements and possible expansion at the city’s 50-year-old community center. The money–forecasted to be in excess of $40 million–would combine with state bonding money to help pay for improved air and mechanical systems and additions like a possible indoor walking track, a possible indoor play area, and more meeting rooms.

Voters will decide in November whether to approve a sales tax increase to help fund improvements at the Brooklyn Center Community Center.

“That’s the problem we have in this building. It’s just so old and outdated and it just don’t fit the need as far as programming,” said Cordell Wiseman, Brooklyn Center’s Parks and Recreation Director. “We do a good job maintaining it, keeping it looking valuable. But underneath it, like a car, a lemon. You know, the car looks great, but you get off the lot, and a lot of things go wrong.”

Wiseman said the air conditioning and heating systems have failed recently, along with smaller maintenance needs like replacing tiles around the Olympic-length pool and finding replacement parts for aging workout equipment in the fitness room.

“It costs more to try to fix than replaced them,” Wiseman said. “We don’t have the money to replace them, so we have equipment to continue not being used. Everything’s dated.”

The city has a website dedicated to information about the proposed sales tax, which Wiseman hopes everyone will use to gather as much information as needed.

“People can go and really find out exactly what this is and how it impacts them as a taxpayer and a citizen, and they can make a sound decision,” he said.

Brooklyn Center | Twin Cities

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