Apr 8, 2007 By Christine Haines 4 min read

CALIFORNIA – The California Area Parks and Recreation Association has a new board of directors, ready to move ahead with a wellness center for the community, except the California Area School District thought it was building the center. CAPRA was formed several years ago to raise money for the wellness center when there were plans to build it on borough-owned land. Those plans fell through and last fall the school district began considering the project. The district superintendent, Dr. R. Tim Marks, was surprised to learn that CAPRA intends to partner with the district.

“I thought CAPRA was disbanded,” Marks said.

Marks said the last discussions the school board had on the wellness center, it was a district project. Marks told the school board in February that he had discussed the project with state Department of Education officials and based on that discussion, the facility would be owned entirely by the district.

The California Area School Board in February authorized spending $26,000 for a master site plan and survey and $10,000 for a geological investigation of the proposed construction area. The board decided to wait until after the site plan and geological study are completed to have the conceptual design study done, since the costs won’t be reimbursed by the state if the project is not built.

“The companies have been given the go-ahead,” Marks said. “They are doing core samples and surveying.”

The district is looking into the possibility of building the wellness center adjacent to the high school and middle school at its Malden Road site that could possibly include space for new district offices, allowing the district to move out of the old Phillipsburg School.

“We sent documents down to the zoning officer about separating Phillipsburg and Booster Field,” Marks said.

Meanwhile, CAPRA was reorganized during a meeting in March.

“CAPRA would really like to get moving on the wellness center. We feel it is needed. We’ve had plans; we’ve had discussions; now let’s get moving. Put a spade in the ground and get this thing built. The community needs it,” said Sheila Chambers, the new CAPRA president.

In addition to Chambers, the new CAPRA officers are Michelle Roberts, secretary, and Donna Nicholson, treasurer. Other board members are T.J. Wilkinson, Lorraine Vitchoff, J. Budd Grebb, Ronald Turosik, Mark Nowak and Donna Bridges.

“CAPRA is a 501 c3 nonprofit organization to foster recreational opportunities in the community,” said state Rep. Peter J. Daley, D-California, who first proposed the wellness center for California. “They will be working with the California Area School District on this project.”

Daley said he is proposing that the school district partner with CAPRA to bring the project to fruition.

“There are school districts in private partnerships throughout the state. We need to be prepared to do whatever we have to do,” Daley said.

Daley said he first thought of a wellness center for California after seeing the wellness centers in central Pennsylvania with activities for both children and adults.

“I talked to the governor and got a $2 million appropriation. It’s in the capital budget. The money will be there once we have the matching funds,” Daley said.

Marks said the district will need to come up with $5.5 million to complete the project under district ownership. Chambers said CAPRA is looking for funding sources.

“We’re going to go ahead and find all the people who are going to join with us and uncover sources of income,” Chambers said. “We’re going to have to look for more funds, absolutely.”

Chambers said CAPRA will meet the second Saturday of each month at 9 a.m.

The next meeting is scheduled for April 14.

Chambers said borough council is scheduled to vote Thursday on whether the group’s meetings will be held at the California Borough Building.