There have been gripes about membership costs at Ogden’s new Marshall N. White Community Center, even as city leaders tout its affordability.
The $35 million facility opened in May with a swimming pool, fieldhouse and space for cooking and pottery classes, among other amenities. It replaces the original 55-year-old facility, which was torn down two years ago.
Betty Sawyer, executive director of Project Success Coalition and president of the Ogden chapter of the NAACP, called the space a home away from home. She and her husband have both worked there.
“The Marshall White Center has always been that safe place, a place that welcome our young people, a place where they could, over the years, grab a snack, a place they could be engaged in after-school, as well as summer youth activities, to learn, grow,” she said.
Roughly 400 memberships have been sold so far, covering more than 1,400 users, said Ogden spokesperson Mike McBride. About 2,000 day passes were used in June.
“At the end of the day, the desire of this administration is to have a facility that's accessible to the public, to the folks that live here, that need it the most,” he said.
A monthly membership for an Ogden family with up to four kids is $60. For some, Sawyer said, that’s a deal.
“But [on] the other hand, I've heard the same comments that it’s too expensive and that other individual classes may cost more on top of the membership.”
The neighborhood around the center is a racially/ethnically concentrated area of poverty as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. At least 40% live at or below the poverty line with a median income for the area at $42,482 in 2023. For Ogden as a whole, that figure was just over $70,000.
The bulk of the project’s funding was $23 million in bonds. It also drew from city, county, state and federal dollars, including American Rescue Plan Act funds and the New Markets Tax Credit Program.
The city said memberships are designed to bring in a reliable source of revenue. Reduced-cost memberships are available, and depending on income, residents can receive up to 30% off memberships and 50% off programming. That means a family of four earning $32,150 or less would pay $42 for a monthly family membership.
But that’s still out of reach for some.
“If you have no money, a discount doesn't help,” Sawyer said.
She knows the center needs the revenue, but wants to find ways to offset the costs for those who can’t afford even the discounted rate. That might mean increasing the discount to 50% or 80%, she said.
Plus, she noted, low-income folks often have lots of paperwork to fill out with different requirements.
“They know they have to do it, but that doesn't make it easier. It doesn't make it less cumbersome or frustrating, and people just give up and don't do it and go without things that they really need and deserve to have.”
McBride acknowledged that proving income in the financial aid application could “take a little bit of legwork” and suggested people turn to a friend or staff member for help.
Some areas of the center are free to access, like the playground, outdoor basketball courts and fields. For security, visitors have to walk through the center to access them. The city is also offering a free learn-to-swim program with a grant from the Government Employees Health Association.
The city is dedicating a $58,275 rebate from Rocky Mountain Power to support scholarships for youth admission to Marshall White Center. But they’ll have to find an ongoing way to support financial aid, McBride said, or “the result is reduced service, or reduced hours, less staff.” At the end of the day, the city has to pay back the bonds that helped fund the new facility.
Going forward, Sawyer hopes stakeholders will seek and respond to community feedback about cost and programming. The city paid attention to residents who wanted to keep the new center in the same neighborhood, she said, and she looks forward to meeting with the administration.
McBride said they’re open to conversations.
“We want to grow with our community. We want the space to be celebrated and really shine a positive light on what it is,” he said. “And [we] don't want anybody to feel like they're being left out.”
Macy Lipkin is a Report for America corps member who reports for KUER in northern Utah.
