After some debate, the Scarborough Town Council unanimously approved spending $1.2 million for the construction of a senior center on a vacant piece of town-owned land at Memorial Park, next to Town Hall.

Some councilors questioned if the planned building is large enough and also whether the town should specify the center’s proposed location.

“I think this building is undersized for the needs that were outlined and identified,” said Councilor Sylvia Most, adding that it is important for the town to meet the needs of the seniors now rather than going back to the voters for more money.

Councilor Carol Rancourt also said the building is undersized while Councilor Shawn Babine said he considering asking for $2.7 million, which would allow for the construction of a second story on the building.

Another issue that arose was whether the town should specify where the center would be constructed. Most said the council seems to have decided where to place the building, but that does not necessarily represent the opinion of the entire community and there may be some competing ideas for the land.

Chairman Jeff Messer and Councilor Robert Patch argued that it is an excellent location for the center and will offer seniors recreational activities on the town’s walking paths at Memorial Park. Additionally, Messer said it would be unusual for the town to request money for the construction of a building without specifying where it is located.

Scarborough’s two senior groups – Senior Voices and Senior Series – want to have their own center dedicated to senior activities. Currently both organizations meet at Scarborough Downs and Hillcrest respectively and are concerned that the meeting space may become unavailable in the future.

The two groups have formed a steering committee to develop plans for the new building. As part of its work, the committee visited a number of area senior centers and found one it really liked in Wells, which services seniors in Wells and Ogunquit. The facility is 5,400 square feet.

According to Ted Tibbals, a member of the steering committee, the Scarborough facility will be about 5,200 square feet.

“The steering committee feels pretty confident with the decisions we’ve made,” he said.

While there may be some 4,000 seniors living in Scarborough, Tibbals said there would be little chance of all of them attending any single event. He said the building’s size is based in part on the attendance for meetings held by Senior Series and Senior Voices.

“We’ve put a lot of thought into this,” he said. “We’re pretty confident in the direction we’re headed in.”

Preliminary plans indicate the building will include a large meeting room and other smaller rooms for activities such as arts and crafts, computer use and exercise. There also will be a reception area and an office.

“This will be a senior/community center,” said Marty Craine, a member of Senior Voices. “We really feel Scarborough needs a senior center and really should move forward.”

On Sept. 7, the Town Council will hold the first reading on putting the senior center bond on the November ballot. The second reading and public hearing on the issue will be held on Sept. 21.

The seniors have been gathering support for the proposal and will continue their efforts through Election Day.

“We’re going to work between now and Nov. 8 to spread the word,” said Elizabeth McCann, founder of Senior Voices.