Citizen concerns about a plan to incorporate a $4.6-million community room into the sewage treatment plan project spurred the Oak Harbor City Council to plan a workshop on the issue.

In December, the council members in a 4-3 vote approved the addition of a 250-person community room in the second floor of an interpretive center that will be a part of a small campus of buildings that will make up the sewage treatment project adjacent to Windjammer Park.

Tuesday, five people raised concerns about the high costs and efficacy of the planned facility during the citizen comment period of the council meeting. Two of the speakers have experience with planning special events.

Terica Ginther, a meeting planner, said the plans for the community room don’t have many of the attributes necessary for conventions. She noted the plans don’t include partitions for breakout space, a trade-show area, audio/visual equipment or teams, buffet line space or set-up and tear-down assistance.

“At best it would be appropriate for wedding receptions,” she said, “and at worse it would be a $4.5-million albatross, the ongoing operations cost becoming a dead weight on the citizens or hotels.”

Kristy Hickok, banquet and event manager at Swinomish Casino, questioned whether the council reached out to hoteliers in the area about the room and what the plans are for marketing; she said it will sit empty without marketing. She said the room rental fee the city would have to charge is too high.

She also questioned the size and layout.

“A wedding party will want a dance floor, groups will want a bar,” she said. “Unless you’re serving a plated meal, there needs to be space for a buffet line and other tables. Caterers will also find it difficult to serve the meal since the restrooms are located right next to the kitchen door.”

All the commenters said the cost was too high, especially since it will likely increase the overall cost of the sewage treatment plant. Cost estimates for the plant run from $91 million to $110 million.

Austin Taylor, a high school student, cautioned against increasing the cost to sewage ratepayers.

“What may not seem like a large expense for someone like you means something entirely different for minimum-wage workers,” he said.

Later in the meeting, Councilman Rick Almberg asked that the council hold a workshop to address the issues. He had argued vociferously against the construction of the meeting room, arguing that it was too expensive and would divert money from other projects in the park. He said a stand-alone structure would be better.

Councilwoman Beth Munns ended up making the motion to hold a workshop on the issue. She voted in favor of the community room but said in an interview after the meeting that she wants to make sure it’s the right decision.

“I don’t think we were given as much information as we thought we had,” she said, adding that she wants to double check the details.

Like everyone else, she’s concerned about the cost.

“There are times when you have a vision and want to reach for the stars,” she said, “but you don’t want to step on anyone’s back.”

The idea of incorporating a community or training room into the treatment plans has been around for years. The proposal took a blow, however, last October when staff and the contractor revealed that it would be smaller and cost more than anticipated; the estimate was $2.4 million. The council asked the architect to increase the size and return with a preliminary design and new cost estimate.

The estimate ballooned to $4.6 million but several council members and representatives from the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce argued that it was worth the cost, especially if grants and other sources of funding can be found. Many people pointed out that a large room with a beautiful view would be an economic boon, fulfill a community need and realize a decades-old community aspiration.

In the end, Oak Harbor City Administrator Doug Merriman said he would coordinate with the council members to set a date for the workshop.