On Monday the Fairmont Area Community Center Foundation announced in a press release that it will discontinue efforts to build a YMCA operated community center in Fairmont. While the project had been in pursuit for more than a decade, the group said project delays and escalating costs have made the project unaffordable.
Back in 2016, 63% of voters in Fairmont supported a local option sales tax of one half of one percent for 25 years, or until $15 million in revenues have been generated for the purpose of funding recreational amenities, trails and/or a Fairmont Community Center.
Since the sales tax went into effect in 2017, about $7.5 million has been collected and to date over $8 million had been raised in donations and pledges.
The project has seen many changes over the years, including some changes with contractors, design plans due to rising costs and changes within the city, which the Foundation cited in a press release, saying there has been “dysfunction and inconsistency with city leadership.”
The press release also mentioned a “frivolous litigation brought against the city,” which referred to a lawsuit brought forth by the group Fairmont Taxpayers Coalition for Government Transparency, which was dismissed in the spring of 2024.
Most recently, the project was set to cost about $30 million and would have included an aquatics area, multipurpose gym, recreational space and programming for youth, families and seniors.
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