Possible Ogden center changes debated

OGDEN — Residents who use the Marshall White Community Center are upset at a proposal by Ogden to shift management of the center to another entity.

In the proposed fiscal 2010 budget, the city plans to eliminate funding for the center with the expectation that the Ogden-Weber Community Action Partnership would take over the center's operations.

OWCAP currently runs various programs and services aimed at the children of low-income households, including Head Start, literacy, immunizations, health, dental and nutrition programs.

When OWCAP approached the city about expanding some of the programs it runs at Marshall White, talks ?morphed into the possibility of OWCAP taking the reins, said John Patterson, Ogden's chief administrative officer.

Patterson said he expects the city to sign a contract with OWCAP to maintain all programs at Marshall White, including water sports, arts, dance, boxing, karate, table tennis and league sports, as well as cultural events, senior activities and Head Start for preschoolers.

OWCAP, which gets its funding from a combination of public and private sources, is expected to apply and receive future grants that would allow it to cover the $350,000 cost per year Ogden spends operating the center.

But the whole thing stinks to a group of residents who use and love the Marshall White Center.

A group of about 30 gathered at the center Thursday to call on Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey and the Ogden City Council to restore funding to the center, which includes three full-time positions and various part-time jobs.

They don't trust that OWCAP would be able to maintain the services Marshall White provides.

Betty Sawyer, president of the Ogden branch of the NAACP, said it seems like the city is giving up on the center.

Sawyer, whose husband works for the center, said it was a grass-roots effort that got the center built, and the city is the best fit to manage its operations.

Sawyer said she's concerned about the people who could lose their jobs if management changes, as well as the possible loss of services.

Godfrey disagreed, saying he thinks the mission of the Marshall White Center will expand because OWCAP is uniquely positioned to help the community.

In its 2008-09 budget, OWCAP received 15 grants totaling more than $5.7 million, according to its Web site.