The St. Louis Park City Council is considering building a new community center to bring together community members and help them feel more connected.

In November 2012, the City Council’s Community Recreation Facility Task Force recommended the city consider including specific amenities in the future facility, such as a gym, child-care services, a common gathering place, and a coffee or food shop.

St. Louis Park Operations and Recreation Director Cindy Walsh believes the athletic facilities of the new community center would be helpful for high school athletes, because they would provide a quality gym experience at no cost.

“I think the strength and fitness facilities would be a great resource for students,” Walsh said. “I also think the community center would be a great place for kids to gather and spend time at.”

The goal of the community center project is to demonstrate the city’s commitment to remaining an involved and connected community, according to Walsh.

Junior Ridwan Said believes a new community center would foster a sense of community by exposing people in St. Louis Park to different customs.

“I feel like a new community center would bring people together,” Said said. “Everybody would get to meet different ethnicities and different cultures.”

Walsh said community members have expressed a desire for a better gathering place in St. Louis Park for several years, based on City Council surveys.

“The community told us that they wanted a gathering place, somewhere people could come together,” Walsh said. “I think the community center will provide a facility where people can gather at all times of the year with a multitude of things to do.”

After two years of planning, city staff presented a design including all the elements previously identified by the Task Force for the facility and parking structure to the City Council in October 2014.

The community center would be located next to the St. Louis Park Rec Center and has an expected construction cost of approximately $48 million.

At a City Council Study Session on Oct. 27, a majority of Council Members requested that the discussion on the new community center project be delayed until early 2015 so as to better understand the City’s financial situation in relation to the Southwest Light Rail Transitway project.

The City Council is expected to consider its next steps in January 2015. These next steps would most likely involve an outreach effort to receive community feedback on the possibility of a new community center.