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An oldie but goody faces change

Regulars have grown attached to the Largo Community Center. Some would welcome a move to the old Largo Library, but others aren't so sure.

By LORRI HELFAND
Published April 30, 2006

LARGO - The old Largo Library may someday be home to the new Largo Community Center.

The idea arose two months ago when city leaders said they wanted to move programs from the community center, which mostly serves seniors, to the old library.

Commissioners discussed it again last week when they reviewed long-term city projects, which include renovating the old library and demolishing the community center.

The library at 351 East Bay Drive has been empty since the new library on Central Park Drive opened last July. Commissioners have also said the space could double as an arts center.

Some community center patrons are upset about the prospect of moving.

"I just know that it would be a crying shame to tear it down and sell it," said Penny Janowski, 67, who shared her feelings with the City Commission last week.

But a number of people who use the center, which also hosts the Tutterow Dance Program and activities for all ages, don't care if they have to change venues as long as they can participate in the same programs elsewhere.

"If we get the good stuff we're getting here, what difference does it make?" said Marilyn Hillig, 66, after completing her Forever Fit exercise class Friday.

Others would love to move if it means more room to play cards or do artwork.

"We could use a larger space in the winter. We are jam packed in here," said Joan Sofarelli, a member of the Largo Art Association, which meets at the center every Friday.

Community center program manager Warren Ankerberg said most of the center's patrons feel the same way. He said the center serves an average of 218 people each day.

"For the most part, they realize we need room," Ankerberg said. "They realize we have to shuffle them around."

The community center is about half the size of the 36,000-square-foot library. Officials would use the new site to expand the community center, as well as create an arts center.

In 2005, the city paid consultant Herbert Halback Inc. of Orlando $30,000 to study alternative uses for the library. The consultant gave several recommended uses for the site, including an arts center. In August, commissioners followed that advice and decided to use the building for arts and education. To bring that goal to fruition, they formed a citizens committee, which is scheduled to make a presentation to the commission in May.

They recently came up with the idea of moving the community center to the site, as well. There would be flexibility because the art center and community center could share the facility as a whole, rather than be confined to set areas, Assistant City Manager Henry Schubert said.

Janowski is concerned that the center could lose amenities, like the full-service kitchen and the auditorium with a stage.

But Schubert said a full-service kitchen would probably be part of the new package. And, he said, a room about the size of the current facility's auditorium could be constructed to house most shows and dances.

Ankerberg, who puts on 18 shows a year and monthly dances, said such a room would be practical for most performances. And in some cases, he said, community center shows could use the cultural center.

But Janowski and her friend Martha Gibson said relocating the community center doesn't make sense.

"I know the building is old, but it's very functional," Janowski said.

Previous reports say the center was built in the mid 1930s, but officials said they're not exactly sure how old it is. The center's auditorium was rebuilt after it was damaged in a fire in November 1988.

"I just think it's a cozy little thing, and in Largo we just have such a history of tearing everything down," said Gibson, 74, who exercises at the center.

City officials already have a plan for the block where the community center now sits. They've been buying up chunks of nearby land, hoping to market the area to developers.

"We're interested in encouraging redevelopment and a big part of encouraging redevelopment is having land available for redevelopment," Schubert said.

Lorri Helfand can be reached at 445-4155 or at lorri@sptimes.com

[Last modified April 30, 2006, 00:58:16]