Limerick Township is moving forward with a two-part study of a proposed community center, approving contracts for design work and a financial analysis in separate votes that each drew one dissent.
At their August 19 meeting, township supervisors approved a preconstruction proposal with Gorski Engineering, Inc. at a cost not to exceed $114,464, and a business plan analysis with Public Financial Management (PFM) at a cost not to exceed $25,000. Both measures passed 3-1, with Supervisor Kara Shuler voting no on each. Supervisor Linda Irwin was not present at the meeting.
Township Manager Dan Kerr said the effort revives a study the board first commissioned in 2019. That earlier agreement with Gorski Engineering was signed for $97,000, but Kerr said the township spent only about $30,000 to obtain a high-level review. That work produced a baseline design for a 54,000-square-foot community center with a rough construction estimate of $7.1 million.
Kerr said the project did not advance further at the time, citing a combination of development pressures, concerns involving ambulance and fire company funding, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Kerr, a community center has been an objective for the township since 2016, when board members decided to sell the sewer system and developed a list of capital priorities. He said other goals from that plan, including new fire company facilities, the municipal complex, and park and trail improvements, have largely been completed. He also said the township remains debt-free.
Kerr noted that the township has already prepared for the possibility of a community center at Limerick Community Park. He said the park master plan designated an area near the multipurpose field for the facility, and utilities were stubbed to the site as part of earlier engineering work.
Design and Financial Studies
The Gorski proposal would restart the design study because too much time had passed since the original work, Kerr said. The township's Parks and Recreation staff and committee would help gather public feedback on what residents want from a community center, similar to the process used for the recently completed Manderach Memorial Playground renovation project.
Kerr said Gorski indicated the study could be completed by the end of October if the township meets weekly and maintains a fast-track schedule, allowing the results to feed into budget discussions. He said the township would need a sufficiently firm cost estimate in time to consider the project as part of its 2027 budget process.
The PFM contract covers the business side of the proposal, comparing projected annual operating costs — including utilities, staffing, insurance, and maintenance — against potential revenue. Kerr said PFM invests the township's sewer proceeds and has served as financial analyst for other community center projects, including one in Derry Township.
Kerr said the firm would use information gathered through public outreach, including potential rental interest from groups such as Spring-Ford youth leagues and the CYO, to help estimate usage, rental rates, and operating projections.
Kerr mentioned that his conversations with other municipal managers suggest community centers can roughly break even on annual operating expenses, depending on the facility and programming, although revenue generally does not fully cover financing costs. Under a conservative revenue approach, he estimated that the analysis might show revenue covering roughly 70 to 80 percent of the center's annual operating costs.
Objections Over Timing
Shuler said she supports a community center and was part of the original process, but she opposed spending the money and taking on the additional work now.
"Adding more to the calendar in 2026 to 2027 is unconscionable," she said, citing the cost of upcoming conditional use hearings and the demands on township staff. She said she would support pursuing the studies during the 2027-to-2028 cycle.
On the PFM vote, Shuler said she considered the firm competent but questioned the approach. She said the township would already be seeking input from the same community members through its comprehensive plan study and questioned why that information could not be gathered through that process before moving the community center project forward.
Kerr emphasized that approving the two studies does not commit the township to building a community center. He said the board should have a complete package by the end of the year and can then decide whether, when, and how to move forward as part of the annual budget process.
