Peachtree City recreation officials have determined to ask voters to approve the larger option for expanding the city’s Gathering Place senior citizen’s center.

The decision has not yet been finalized by the City Council, which must vote to have the expansion placed on the city’s ballot in the November general election.

The larger expansion would add more than 11,000 sq. ft. to the facility at a projected cost of $2.19 million for construction, which likely will be financed over a 10 or 15-year period.

Recreation officials have said that new staff will need to be hired for the expanded facility, including one full-time employee and five part-time staffers.

City staff consulted with the city’s senior adult council before making its decision, and is recommending that the expansion include a regular kitchen instead of one designed to meet commercial specifications, which would have been more expensive, said city Leisure Services Director Randy Gaddo.

The new kitchen be larger than the facility’s current kitchen, which likely will be rearranged to take advantage of the new space, Gaddo said.

Officials considered a smaller expansion that would have added 6,700 sq. ft. to the facility at an estimated cost of $1.36 million.

The larger expansion would add a new entrance area and additional parking on the right side of the building, including some spaces for golf carts. Included will be a five multipurpose rooms, with perhaps a dedicated exercise room, a dedicated game room, and a room for card playing that could remain set up that way, officials said. Also there would be a large programming room to seat up to 150 people or be separated into three smaller rooms with portable screens.

Council is expected to vote not only on the Gathering Place referendum, but also one to add a $3.6 million astroturf multi-purpose sports field facility at the Baseball and Soccer Complex on Ga. Highway 74 south. The projects would be listed separately on the ballot.

The multi-purpose fields would be used by the city’s soccer and football programs. The football program is currently located at Riley Field, and if it is moved from there, lacrosse matches would be held at Riley instead, officials have said.

Voters will be heading to the polls in November anyway to fill the council seats currently held by Judi-ann Rutherford and Stuart Kourajian.