More information sought on community center

Residents attending a Mound House Advisory Council meeting last week asked why the county has not already built one.

Spearheading the most recent effort to bring a recreational/meeting facility to the community, brothel owner Dennis Hof said he willing to help raise funds for the building if the community wants one.

He offered to make a sizable donation and was confident other brothels and businesses would do the same.

"We could come up with a sizable amount of money and go to the county and say, 'Here is our commitment. Why don't you guys step up with some federal money or county money and let's get this thing done?'"

To get community opinions on the issue, Hof mailed a questionnaire to 700 Mound House residents. About 100 had been returned prior to Tuesday's advisory council meeting, with about 85 percent in support of a local center.

"Adamantly, people would write in big letters "Not in Dayton," he told the council. "I think the people in this area feel they deserve to have something that is theirs and not just a part of something Dayton is doing."

Mailed last week, the questionnaire asked residents if they are in favor of a local community center, how many children are living at home, how many senior citizens are living at home and what sort of activities would they like to see hosted at such a center.

Commissioners allocated funding approximately 10 years ago to build a center on land donated to the county by developer Julius Bunkowski. However, the funding was needed to settle a negotiated labor agreement with the county and sheriff's department employees. A building moratorium caused by water shortages, followed by county financial shortfalls, kept the project on the back burner.

Recent requests have been turned down.

Council members said the request had been placed in their budget just two years ago, but had been ignored.

Commission Chairman Bob Milz said the county wanted to get some comments.

"Let's put up some money where your mouth is," he challenged Hof. "If the brothels are willing to put up some money, that's the way we have to go about it."

Advisory Council Chairman Chuck Roberts, noting county officials have expressed interest in using federal money received in lieu of taxes for federal lands for a new Dayton community center, expressed opposition to putting the financial burden on local businesses.

"I don't know that it is fair to lean on the businesses to pay for something the county probably should provide. Businesses contribute enough in the form of taxes, trade and employment," he said. "If we are trying to follow an equality doctrine, wouldn't it be more fair for Mound House to have some of that money for a community center before Dayton?"

Roberts added, "If the people in the community want it, I would like to see the people in the community come and tell the commissioner they want it. They are going to have to show up here in numbers and they are going to have to show up at the commissioner meeting in numbers."

To allow time for response to Hof's survey, the issue was continued to the January council meeting.