WALBRIDGE – The village has purchased a former gym and one of its future uses may be a community center.

The vote, however, was not unanimous.

Council voted 5-1 Wednesday to purchase Carroll’s Health and Fitness Center at 417 Main St. for $190,000.

Council member Karen Baron voted no.

“I just feel that there needs to be more research done as to what exactly the cost would be to renovate the building, because we’re going into it blind,” she said.

While an inspection showed the exterior structure was sound, it did show work needs to be done to the interior “and we don’t know how much,” Baron said.

“We don’t know how big of a project it’s going to be, if it’s a money pit, and I feel we need to have more meetings and discussions on this,” she said.

The purpose of the building also hasn’t been determined, she added.

The former fitness center was built in 1971 and sits on 2.89 acres. It is located immediately east of Railway Park and is flanked by W. Breckman St. at Walbridge Apartments. Its appraised value is $178,600, according to the Wood County Auditor’s website.

Mayor Ed Kolanko said it was a smart purchase.

For almost 3 acres of land and a commercial building in good shape, the purchase price was fantastic, he said.

The appraised value is usually less than the market value, “so I think we’re getting a heck of a bargain at $190,000,” he said.

There are opportunities for additional parking for Railway Park and the building is in excellent shape.

Kolanko said he intended to engage the community to see what residents wanted.

“Looking at that as a community center that’s attached to the park may be a wonderful option for our village,” he said. “It does give our kids something to do. We have our pool for the summer, but we don’t have anything for them to do the other nine months out of the year.”

If that’s what the community wants, we’ll try to raise some money to see that happen, he said.

At the April 3 meeting, a Carroll family member reported the building’s trust had been fraudulently transferred upon the death of his father.

The village attorney has not alerted administrators of any issues moving forward with the purchase, Kolanko said.

Any issues within the Carroll family do not affect the village, he said.

Council had tabled the ordinance at its April 3 meeting after a handful of residents opposed the purchase.

More than a dozen people attended Wednesday’s meeting.

Kristen Angelo, who lives on Guy Street, attended Wednesday’s meeting as well as the one two weeks ago.

“That’s a lot of money for something without a plan,” she said.

Given the amount of interest at the last meeting, she said it would be prudent to hold a community meeting to allow questions and concerns to be addressed. Discussion among the community showed interest in a grocery store, community center or garden.

There is a laundry list of issues where that money could be better spent in the village, including the alleys across from Vito’s and next to her home, sidewalks on Clayton Street, the lack of sidewalks elsewhere in the village and the pool.

“I would support this purchase if there was a plan to benefit the greater community,” Angelo said.

Tina Ashman, who lives in Millbury, urged council to turn the property into something that will benefit the kids in the community.

She drives to Bowling Green in the winter to use the rec center on campus and having a community center in the village would provide a place to go in the winter as well as a place young athletes can use year-round.

She supported turning part of the property into a parking lot to alleviate the crowded parking that happens during baseball tournaments at Railway Park.

Julie Hummel, Allen Street, said revamping the building would be “a huge positive for not just children but all ages.”

“To have something here locally, right here in the village, I feel like it would be a huge positive to the children growing up in this community,” she said.

Although there is no solid plan for the use of the building, when property comes up for sale, it’s about opportunity, Kolanko said.

“Sometimes if we don’t jump on the opportunity when it’s there, we might lose it to someone else,” he said.

He used the municipal building as an example. The former church was purchased in 2015 for $100,000. The senior center stayed and pays $10,000 a year in rent. With the rent collected in the last eight years plus funds from the sale of the former municipal building, the village was ahead, he said.

“We’ve made some smart real estate decisions and I think this is going to be another one when we look back in five or 10 years,” Kolanko said.

Also at the meeting:

Philip Chrysler, of Bowling Green, introduced himself as a candidate for Wood County Commissioner. He said he is running on a platform to better coordinate with townships and cities to help better the county as a whole.

Administrator Todd Robson reported sewer crews were clearing storm drains on Martindale, Parkview Drive, Meadow Lane, Allen Street and Clinton Street to alleviate high water,