SIDE STREETS: Are they 'community centers' or 'church centers?'

There’s a tug-of-war under way for Colorado Springs’ three remaining community centers. And I can’t quite figure out why.

A group led by the Broadmoor Community Church said it has pledges and plans to raise $125,000 to operate the southside Meadows Park Community Center in 2011.

Next week, it plans to ask City Council to contribute $75,000, slashing the city’s historic 90 percent subsidy of Meadows to 37 percent.

“We’re asking the city to provide the skeleton, the bones and keep the lights on,” said Scott Lovaas, a Broadmoor church pastor.

His 35-page plan appears to be exactly the type of private/public partnership the Council urged when it threatened to close the centers due to budget cuts.

Lovaas builds on a concept created by Woodmen Valley Chapel, a northside megachurch, which took over the Westside Community Center May 1 in a three-year agreement with the city.

The difference at Meadows? Lovaas has a dozen churches, all in close proximity, as well as businesses and other groups involved.

“We’re trying to draw on our faith communities to extend the dollars the city gives the community center,” Lovaas said. “We are getting people who live and work in the neighborhood to take responsibility for the community center.”

Even better, Lovaas said he believes his concept could save centers in Hillside and Deerfield Hills, as well.

Here’s my confusion: Lovaas’ group finds itself at odds with Community Partnership Project, a fledgling nonprofit determined to take over all three centers.

Consider how CPP’s website describes its mission: “Develop viable community partnerships to provide quality of life activities” for all age groups. That’s exactly what Lovaas is doing.

(See my blog for details.)

But CPP president Eric Phillips is critical of the churches’ involvement. He said the Westside center suffers a “stigma” from its relationship with Woodmen Valley Chapel. He fears a similar problem if Lovaas is allowed to proceed.

“There’s nothing wrong with churches,” he said. “They are doing their best. But that stigma might have stuck with them.”

Phillips insists CPP, which is in its infancy, is better suited to run the centers with a staff it will hire, not using the city structure and staff already in place, as Lovaas plans to do. He said current staff has failed to engage the neighborhoods.

“People don’t know what these centers are or what they offer,” Phillips said.

CPP’s plans are fuzzy.

“We haven’t done the dollars yet,” he said, in contrast to Lovaas’ detailed budget and program plans.

Phillips, a former property manager, said a fundraiser is planned Sept. 22 at the El Paso Club.

“We’re looking for grants,” he said. “Different types of money.”

CPP will unveil its plan to the City Council Sept. 27. Maybe it will all become clear to me then.

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Read my blog updates at
 gazette.com/blogs/sidestreets