The Pensacola City Council chambers were packed with passionate community members last Thursday as elected officials deliberated on one of the most significant youth development projects in recent memory.
- After thoughtful discussion and debate, the council approved, 6-1, the land lease for the Rafferty Center.
Why this matters: At the heart of this story lies an extraordinary act of generosity. The Southern Youth Sports Association (SYSA), led by Commissioner Lumon May, will construct a $3-million state-of-the-art facility, paid with private donations and a state grant, to serve Pensacola’s youth for decades to come.
Addressing Historical Inequities
The most compelling aspect of this project is its commitment to addressing long-standing disparities in youth opportunities across Pensacola.
“I grew up at Calona and Callaway, I grew up at Bill Gregory and Terry Wayne when the kids at Bill Bond had nice equipment and the poor black kids on the west side didn’t have an opportunity,” Commissioner May explained. “And so the reason that I go out and raise this type of money is because God has allowed me that opportunity to do that… We are trying to give our children the same thing that other children have.”
Smart Financial Structure for the City
While some council members raised concerns about operational costs, the financial arrangement heavily favors the city. Rather than Pensacola taxpayers funding construction, they receive a fully-built facility in exchange for maintenance responsibilities estimated at approximately $52,500 annually.
- Council member Charles Bare, who supported the project, drew an important distinction: “The difference is that the funding is not coming from us. The funding is coming from our private source, so I can separate the two… The fact that SYSA gets near exclusive control in this facility is not as big of a challenge to me because they’re building the facility, they’re paying for the facility.”
Mayor Reeves put the costs in perspective, noting that over 46 years, the city’s contribution amounts to roughly $840,000 in today’s dollars – a fraction of the facility’s construction value. “Someone is putting up $3 million, and over the next 46 years, we get 30 hours a week of access to a building, and it costs us $800,000-ish over 46 years.”
Ensuring Public Access
Critics worried about public access to the facility, but the lease agreement specifically protects community use. The city retains access from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, with additional availability when SYSA isn’t using the facility with reasonable notice.
- It should be noted that the city is converting the Fricker Center, which is a three-minute drive from the Theophalis May Community Center, into a senior center.
Council Vice President Allison Patton sought clarification on how residents could access the facility: “If somebody wants to use, if a yoga class wants to meet on Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. using the center, how do they achieve that?”
Mayor Reeves confirmed that requests would be routed through the Parks and Recreation department, just like any other city facility, ensuring a clear process for community access.
A Model for the Future
The Rafferty Center approval represents exactly the kind of public-private partnership that forward-thinking communities should embrace. It leverages private philanthropy to address public needs, demonstrates fiscal responsibility, and creates lasting infrastructure for youth development.
- The Rafferty Center will serve as more than a sports facility – it will be a hub for mentorship, character development, and opportunity creation.
During the discussion, Commissioner May said, “My life mission has been coming back and dedicating and trying to bring about equity and bringing about opportunities for children.”
The Raffery Center will help Commissioner May and the City of Pensacola accomplish that mission.
I want a front row seat for Lumon May’s next life, when he’s a gardener and sewer. THAT I wanna see. 🙂
Some of Councilwoman Brahier’s concerns made sense in general, as they are valid per the history of how government community centers can so easily get entangled with private interest. But I do believe the private equity makes this one different, and while I understand that there hasn’t been enough budget allocated historically to maintain the existing facilities properly, past mismanagement shouldn’t preclude capitalizing on an amazing opportunity. That’s of course a personal opinion, which is always up for reasonable debate, and it can never be said that everybody did not get ample opportunity to speak their opinion during the two and a half hours. The yeas had it, by a landslide. (Which was *not* the case, for instance, with the public balance on Malcolm Yonge.)
What isn’t personal opinion is that the mayor never addressed the question of whether this thing was hitting the agenda for a second time, as a lot of people thought. Clearly, nobody on the dais has to answer questions from the public. Still, it would have been hugely helpful if Mayor Reeves had explained why this seemed to be coming to an agenda for a second time to a lot of people. I mean, other than–seemingly–a failed opportunity to hold a commissioner’s feet to the fire in the wake of the Baptist bickering, and as a public moment to reinforce his dominance over parks and facilities against members of Council who have different ideas about their proper management.
It’s not surprising that the people who fought so hard to keep Malcolm Yonge from being demolished are crying foul, and I don’t blame them. There is no through-line in the logic on the reasons why that gym could not be saved through private equity etc, and all the debates about single, or preferred, use. While not buying in to the argument about developer influence being the common thread (what does that have to do with Troy Rafferty donating a million dollars?–THANK YOU), their charges of hypocrisy in the reasoning on decisions do hold some weight.
Again, though, that’s something for City residents to take up with their mayor, as there was never a more clear case of two wrongs don’t make a right. Would denying the contract on this center bring back Malcolm Young?–the razing of which, and how it all went down, was an inconscionable horror show to my mind. “We got done wrong so please deal out that injustice equally” is the same frustrating argument as “There are only so many crumbs available so nobody deserves a whole piece of pie.” Classic case of getting it from the wrong end of the stick. As I said in my speaking, the answer is THAT THE COUNTY AND THE CITY NEED TO BAKE MORE PIES. When people resort to battling over crumbs and calling for the equitable distribution of smidgeons, that’s when the budget deciders can free-wheel funds away from the greatest needs of the community.
So while I did not at all agree with Councilwoman Brahier’s calling out this particular venture so forcefully, and was squarely in the corner of celebrating the SYSA victory, I sympathize with where she is coming from in *general,* and hope that maybe this budget hearing, her hammering on the need for maintenance etc. will result in some real changes to what line items get funded and better caretaking of and access to existing facilities.
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PS. While the City *and* the County are at it, maybe they could get around to building another pool and providing some funding for free swim lessons yet in this ice age, rather than waiting around for private organizations and donors to solve that screaming municipal need as well…