On Thursday night, Millcreek residents will get a chance to hear plans for the Zem Zem Shrine Club property and share their thoughts on if the space should be purchased ahead of a vote from the township supervisors. There will be a presentation of data and reference materials as well.


Kim Clear, one of the three township supervisors said they want to use this space as a community center. They want to have this be a place for meetings, classes, parties, and events.


According to Clear, establishing a community center for the township has been in the works since 2005. When members of the Zem Zem Shrine Club approached the township to sell the property to them a few years ago, they felt like this was the perfect fit.


Clear believes this purchase will be a great investment in the community and for the future. She said there are some minor renovations that will need taken care of, but there could be much larger plans that will take place over the next fifty years.


Clear said she believes residents want a community center and now is the perfect time to make it a reality,  "We have reached out to our residents over the last five years and a lot of our residents have been asking for a community center. That is at the top of their list. They want more programming and they need a community center to do it. We are in a fiscally responsible place right now as a township. We have every little debt and this will only increase the values of our homes and honestly increase the quality of lives for our residents."

There will be a new supervisor after the November election and both candidates weighed in on their thoughts of the possible purchase.

Harry Morgan, one of the candidates for Millcreek Township Supervisor said,"I am not opposed to a community center. I am opposed to buying Zem Zem for a community center. Especially when we have under utilized property in the township, for instance Zuck Park. We have five to six buildable acres about there, we can build a 4,000 square foot facility, use the money from Erie Golf Course and pay cash for it instead of putting the township in debt."

Dr. Kylie Morris, the other candidate for Millcreek Township Supervisor said, "One of the things that is going to make it successful is where we go after the purchase and some of the things I know people have addressed recently have been about the spending going on in Millcreek and I would say it's not just spending it's investing in our community.


The meeting begins Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Millcreek Township Municipal building.

If residents cannot attend, the township is still accepting public comments on their web page.