Sugar Creek Asks Voters to Raise Taxes for $1.5 Million Wellness Center

   Will the residents of Sugar Creek vote to raise their property taxes by $60 a year for every $100,000 of assessed value in order to transform the old post office into a $1.5 million Wellness Center?  That’s what city officials are hoping will happen on August 5th, when Sugar Creek residents go to the polls. 

   The Wellness Center would feature exercise equipment, a group exercise room, a kitchen, child care for people working out, and restrooms with showers.  $1.5 million will only cover the cost of building the Wellness Center, but not the cost of staffing, running or maintaining it.  Those costs would be covered by membership or usage fees; the Wellness Center would not be free for Sugar Creek residents to use. 

   Citizens we spoke to were skeptical about the cost, need, and location of the proposed Wellness Center, pointing out that the city already offers free fitness classes at the gymnasium.

   Several residents we spoke to said they would gladly vote to raise taxes if Sugar Creek would bring back the municipal swimming pool, but the proposed Wellness Center does not offer swimming facilities.

   One resident, who asked not to be named, said, “Why should we give them a million and a half dollars for this, when all that land along 24 Highway is growing weeds? This was supposed to be part of the 24 Highway development we’ve already paid millions of dollars for. They tore down all those homes and businesses for a shopping center that never happened.  Now they want to raise taxes for this? Where’s the shopping center?”