Pictured is a visual representation of the proposed Dupo community center. (Courtesy of Quadrant Designs)

Residents flooded Dupo Village Hall last Tuesday during a parks committee meeting to discuss a proposal to build a community center at the city park estimated at $700,000.

Dupo Police Officer Kevin Smith said he falls among those who feel the money should go to funding other projects.

“I’m not against the center at all,” Smith said. “I just think the money could be spent on other things.”

For instance, he said a lot of areas of town — including Ninth Street at Godin Avenue — need road work done. Other residents said sidewalk improvements are more important than a community center right now.

However, village trustee Kenny Phillips, who serves as parks committee chair, said the money they would use for the community center cannot go to paying for items outside of park needs. A $190,000 reimbursable grant the village would receive upon building the center is specific to that project.

In addition, the park budget only covers needs for the park. Dupo Mayor Ron Dell also said the committee used the meeting to attempt to knock down the price.

“That’s still only a ballpark until you start the bidding,” Phillips explained.

Phillips also said expenses from other park budget items are now paid off, freeing up the budget for other projects.

To cover the remaining cost of the center, the village will look into taking out a loan or soliciting donations, Dell said. Phillips said the village does not plan to use $500,000 in tax increment financing, despite what misinformation may have been shared on Facebook.

The village of Dupo has a TIF district, which is used to finance economic development in areas that are considered neglected or underdeveloped.

Many residents indicated on Facebook that they did not agree with the cost of the project. In contrast, Dell said they looked at other communities with centers and that the dollar amount isn’t truly that high.

He added there is only so much the village can do to bring down the price since it has to pay prevailing wages, make the center handicapped accessible and ensure the building is compliant with fire codes. The money to build this center will not require any additional tax or fee for residents, meaning the only cost would be a usage fee.

In response to the village board’s approach to matters affecting the community, Smith created a Facebook profile titled “Changedupo IL” a few weeks ago. The purpose of the profile is to keep the public informed, Smith said.

“Dupo seems to be taking steps backwards instead of forward,” the page states.

After Facebook received complaints about Changedupo IL being a profile instead of a page, Smith changed the platform to a page called “Changedupo.” The profile received close to 1,000 friends within less than two weeks of being active.

Dell said the idea for building a community center came from residents saying they needed somewhere to host private functions within the village. The Sugar Loaf Township building in Dupo, while available for the residents, is booked 95 percent of the time, Dell added.

“The consensus is that people are having to go out of town to have functions,” he said.

Additionally, Dell said the VFW in Dupo is closed down, but the American Legion is still available for use.

Currently, Dell said the project is in the planning and design phase, meaning the board will not vote on building the center for some time. Phillips has not scheduled the next parks committee meeting as of press time.

For more information on the community center, contact Phillips at 286-3280. The next village board meeting is slated for 7 p.m. Monday at Village Hall.