New London — The city has scheduled two forums to allow for public input on plans for the regional community recreation center planned for construction at Fort Trumbull.

The meetings will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 16 and Wednesday, Nov. 17 at the Multi-Magnet Secondary School lecture hall on the campus of New London High School, 490 Jefferson Ave.

The City Council has approved $30 million in bonding for the project and a community center task force last month reviewed options for the facility presented by Silver/Petrucelli + Associates, the architects for the project. Silver/Petrucelli has recommended a two-story, 62,000-square-foot building to be constructed on nearly 7 acres at Fort Trumbull.

The community center is expected to contain a two-court gymnasium, six-lane indoor pool, lounge, workout and game rooms, six multi-purpose rooms and administrative offices to accommodate the new home of the city’s Recreation Department and its programs.

Mayor Michael Passero, a longtime champion of developing a community center, said the project is the most significant for the city in many years.

“In keeping with the true sense of a community center, we want residents to be part of the planning as we begin to bring the long-awaited community asset to life in the coming months,” he said in a statement.

In 2016, not long after taking office, Passero had pushed for the purchase of the vacant former Edgerton School property for future development of a community center. The City Council at the time declined to approve the purchase. The Edgerton School property and Bates Woods were some of the sites explored for development of the community center prior to a recommendation that it be located at Fort Trumbull.

The need for a community center was amplified after the city sold the Richard R. Martin Center, which had a basketball court and had been home to city-sponsored recreational programs.

City officials have said operational costs for the new community center, estimated to be $2.1 million per year, would be funded in part through membership fees and rental income. Membership fees are expected to be based on a sliding scale to allow access to lower-income residents.

“A Community Center adds so much to the quality of life by serving as a venue for recreational and cultural activities, for educational opportunities, and for meeting space for organizations representing our diverse city,” Felix Reyes, director of the city’s Office of Development and Planning, said in a statement. “We want to work with residents so we can include as many ideas as possible at the outset.”

g.smith@theday.com