A former mayor, a retired developer, a real estate agent, a banker and a handful of other residents urged Oak Harbor Council members to dump plans to build a $4.6-million community room as part of the new sewage treatment plant.

Tuesday’s council meeting was the second one in a row in which the citizen-comment period was dominated by people who want city leaders to reverse the decision to incorporate a 250-person community room into the project.

A special meeting to discuss the community room is scheduled for 2-5 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 10 at the council chambers.

The council can take action at the meeting to change the plans, if they choose.

It’s unclear whether there are enough votes on the council to reverse the decision, which was made in December by a 4-3 vote.

Mayor Bob Severns, who was a councilman at the time, voted against the room. Erica Wasinger was appointed by the council to fill the remainder of Severns’ council term.

Nine people spoke against the community room Tuesday. They argued that it’s too expensive, it won’t be used enough to warrant the expense, rental fees won’t cover the overhead, a sewage plant isn’t an inviting destination, only an elite few will use the room and it simply isn’t needed.

Patty Cohen, a former Oak Harbor mayor, urged the council to conduct a comprehensive analysis of plans for a community room before jumping into the costly decision.

Bill Massey, who worked in construction for 40 years, also said the room is a bad idea.

“I’m at a loss to understand why we are gonna spend $5 million,” he said, “that may be passed on to ratepayers for a facility that probably isn’t needed or would be better built at a lower cost at another location.”

Real estate agent Wayne Locke said he runs training sessions, and he believes the proposed facility wouldn’t work because it won’t have break-out rooms. He also said that amenities are a distance away.

Rick Chapman said he was worried that the community room will only push up costs for the sewage treatment plant higher and raise sewage utility rates.

He said the added expense isn’t fair to the people struggling to make ends meet.

“This facility is a bad idea that has ‘train wreck’ written all over it,” he said.

Hal Hovey, a frequent council attendee, spoke in favor of the community room, though, he concedes, “it was an after thought in a lot of ways” and is going to be more expensive than expected.

“It is a community room,” he said. “We’re not trying to create a convention center here. We’re not trying to create a ballroom. We’re trying to create somewhere the community can come together.”

He said other uses of the facility — such as conferences — would be side benefits.

A series of audience members spoke in favor of the community room during the meeting in December, during which the decision was made to build it. Many people pointed out that a large meeting space with a beautiful view would be an economic boon, fulfill a community need and realize a decades-old community aspiration.

Oak Harbor Chamber Director Christine Cribb said in December that the space can be used by local groups and nonprofit organizations, but it would also support the wedding and lodging markets; it would give the chamber “something to market 365 days a year.”

“A retreat, conference center will be the catalyst for economic growth in our community,” Cribb said.