CENTRAL - Central Mayor Wade Evans is asking questions about how $12 million allocated to the city to build a multi-use activity center was transferred to the city's school system without notification to city leaders. 

During Wednesday night's city council meeting, Evans said he was unaware the money had been transferred and is trying to find information about who orchestrated the reallocation and why city leaders weren't briefed on the change, calling the move "the dirtiest of politics." 

"The reality of it is this project was moved for political reasons. It has nothing to do with the fact that the city didn't do the work," Evans said. "So, I would love some answers myself." 

Evans said the public has been given an untrue narrative that city leadership did not move forward in the project. He said he went through the necessary steps and got to a point in the project where it was not economically responsible to go forward with the construction, especially when residents have every day issues with drainage and traffic. 

"Look at the timeline, look at the CEA, look at the design work, look at the correspondence with FPNC, look at the meetings, look at the revised capital outlay request, then decide for yourself whether this project was sitting idle or whether your city was actually working to deliver it in a financially responsible way," Evans said. 

For the project to go forward, the city of Central had to match the state's $12 million commitment. Evans said during the planning process it was evident that the project was going to exceed the estimate and could cost the city an additional $12 million. 

Former State Sen. Bodi White started the activity center project in 2022, securing funding for the school system to move forward on the activity center. In 2023, the project was transferred to the city and then back to the school system in 2026.

White spoke during the meeting, saying that the project, which would feature a covered arena, was his attempt at doing something special for the city. 

"All I could get that year was $12, $13 million. The mayor and all said it wasn't enough money," White said.

The former lawmaker said that even though all of the funding was not there upfront, the state was not going to leave the project incomplete in the middle of construction. 

"Once the state starts a project like this and get a million or two in it, they're not going to back up," he said. "If we didn't finish projects, we'd have unfinished projects all over the state."

White said that he put the project in motion when he was in office, but is now orchestrating it as a private citizen. He said that he's talked to current lawmakers to arrange the deal. He approached the school district and asked them to take over the project to get it done. 

"I felt like the school board had more liquid money, they have a big track record of building things. Look how many schools they have, they build things all over Central."

"You're just moving too slow, man," White said to Evans. 

"It didn't make sense for me to sign a contract to build a $22 million building with only a $12 million commitment from the state," Evans replied. 

Current State Rep. Lauren Ventrella issued a letter before the meeting, saying that she would not be in attendance, but then arrived later to take questions. 

She explained that the project was deemed "impossible and impractical" by the state during its time under city leadership because there were no reports from local leadership that money had been used. 

Ventrella said that she did not want to be involved in the fight and that she did not care which organization heads the project as long as the dollars stay in the city of Central.  

"Whoever the mayor is, I don't care. It's about this city continuing to win and to continue the legacy of State Senator Bodi White that we took for granted," Ventrella said. 

She said that after elections, state leadership will go back to the council and city leaders to discuss how funding will be best allocated to Central.