Wildwood commissioners split 3-2 Monday night on a $12 million recreation and outreach center at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park.
Mayor Ed Wolf and Commissioner Joe Elliott were in the minority in voting against the proposed center.
The mayor said he supports the idea of the recreation center, but questioned the ongoing costs at a time when the city has large projects looming such as the wastewater treatment facility, which is crucial to the city’s future growth. He had previously issued a statement outlining his feelings.
John Christian, a former Leesburg mayor who is the pastor at the Christian Worship Center in Leesburg, spoke about the need for the recreation center in Wildwood.
He said it is much better to find youth “in a recreation center rather than a jail cell.”
