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Greenbelt staff to update 1994 Community Center plan as use outpaces original vision; armory deed transfer pursued
Summary
Recreation staff proposed updating the Community Center business plan to reflect increased program demand and space conflicts; staff said they will bring a feasibility-study contract on the armory deed transfer to council and raised concerns about vandalism and capacity constraints.
City recreation staff told the Greenbelt City Council they intend to modernize the Community Center business plan and revise facility-use policies to keep pace with expanded programming, growing recognition groups and shifting space demand.
Greg Varda summarized the history: the existing guiding document dates to 1994 and grew out of a task force formed in 1989. "We went from about 20 recognition groups at that time to over 50 now," Varda said, noting increased pages in the activity guide and greater demand for rooms such as the gym and dance studios.
Andrew (community center staff) gave a usage inventory for 2024: the center hosts 25 free-space/recognition groups, 6 city advisory groups with free space, 2 homeowners-association groups, and 15 paid pattern rentals. Staff said that while some rooms are underused, high-demand spaces (gym, dance studios) create scheduling conflicts between city programs, recognition groups and rentals.
Council discussed cost-recovery and policy trade-offs if free space frequency or scope expands. Staff said they will prioritize preserving community access while updating fee schedules and free-usage rules; some council members urged transparency so residents and smaller groups know how to access space and who to contact.
On long-range options, City Manager Summeron reported renewed engagement from HUD and federal partners on the armory deed transfer and said staff will present a contract for a feasibility study to council (targeting the second September meeting). "We've received good news at the beginning of the week that they claim to be reengaged and working on that deed transfer," Summeron said. Public commenters flagged graffiti and vandalism at the armory and staff said those conditions are being used to press federal partners on safety and transfer timelines.
Staff also noted other future opportunities for space (a Beltway Plaza project that would transfer recreational space to the city and potential after-hours use of local school facilities) and asked council to consider those in long-term planning.
Next steps: staff will revise facility policies and procedures, return to council with updates and the proposed feasibility-study contract for the armory deed transfer; no formal action was taken at the work session.
