New London — The Republican Town Committee this week endorsed a petition asking the City Council to repeal their vote approving the purchase of the Edgerton School property or take the issue to a citywide referendum.

Daniel McSparran, who lives on Elm Street near the deteriorating former school, is leading the petition drive and said Thursday the petition is not about blocking the idea of a community center.

McSparran said he and others think the property is too expensive, the site is too small, the purchase takes taxable property off the tax rolls and the entire agreement never was properly presented to the public.

“There’s no business plan for this. (Mayor Michael Passero) hopes that once he has the land back he will be able to negotiate a partnership. Why wouldn’t you do this first?” McSparran said. “There are a number of different issues with this.”

The council voted 4-3 on Monday to authorize Passero to move forward on the $350,000 purchase with the idea he will pursue a public/private partnership with an entity such as the YMCA that would to build and maintain a recreational facility at the 3.3-acre site at 120 Cedar Grove Ave.

Councilors in favor of the purchase said the community is in need of a recreational center and pool, and do not want to let this opportunity pass since the site is centrally located.

The city’s YMCA closed in 1981 and the pool at the high school is no longer in use because of high maintenance costs.

Those against the proposal have echoed McSparran’s concerns and questioned whether low-income families could even afford membership at the YMCA.

Passero’s support of a community center dates back to at least 2010 when he organized The New London Community Center Collaborative, a group that conducted polls, raised money, completed a feasibility study and eventually identified Veterans Field as a favorable site with Ocean Community YMCA as the potential manager.

Veterans Field, which is adjacent to Edgerton property, is now slated for a $850,000 facelift and is off the table for any development.

Passero said Thursday he was disappointed with the Republican Town Committee’s vote on Wednesday and there is some misinformation being spread.

“You can’t have a business plan without a partner. I can’t get a partner without a piece of property to develop,” Passero said. “I don’t see a great deal of risk since we’re buying an asset and using it to entice a private party to build a recreation center.”

He said even if the recreation center idea does not materialize the city could market the property and “ensure what the future use would be. We’ll still have the asset.”

Petitioners need to gather and submit 342 signatures, 10 percent of voters in the last election, by March 22.

The initial agreement between the city and land owner Peter Levine noted a March 16 deadline for closing on the property.

Passero on Friday secured an extension to the agreement moving the closing date deadline to April 7. By charter, Passero must wait 30 days after the council’s vote to execute the deal.

Passero said the purchase could be made with money from a special revenue fund that dates back to 2010 and contained $1 million, a bonus from when a contract was extended with Veolia Water.

The money is placed in a special account and not used for general operating expenses, only special projects, he said.

McSparran and some councilors have voiced their displeasure with the cost of the property because it is smaller than when Levine purchased it from the city for the same price in 2010.

Levine at one time had owned and marketed together both the Edgerton property and the adjacent property at 413 Colman St.

Land records show he merged a .53-acre portion of the Edgerton property with the .36-acre Colman Street property and has since sold it to O’Reilly Automotive with plans for an auto parts store.

The city stands to lose $29,000 a year in taxes at the current assessment on the Cedar Grove property.

The property is in foreclosure and Levine has agreed to pay more than $50,000 in back taxes as part of his agreement with the city.

At least one developer has said he offered Levine $435,000 for the property with the intention of a warehouse-type development.

“I’m confident that if people make an earnest attempt to look at the information and facts, it’s pretty much an easy decision,” Passero said. “There’s not much of a downside.”

McSparran said the city should be looking at other possible locations such as Bates Woods, Fort Trumbull or the Martin Center, which already are owned by the city.

g.smith@theday.com