New Port Richey’s City Council split down the middle Tuesday night on whether or not to fund a $1.8 million expansion of the City’s Recreation and Aquatic Center on Van Buren Street. The facility originally was constructed in 2007 for a price tag of $14 million but suffers from a low membership that causes the facility to run at a huge deficit.

The $1.8 million approved on Tuesday will be used to renovate, expand, and reposition the center’s current fitness room. $1.1 million of the funds will come from Penny for Pasco allocations for the city, funds which have restrictions as to how they can be used. The fitness room will now be located in the front of the facility in a new addition to the building. The vote was split 3-2 with Councilmen Chopper Davis and Bill Phillips voting against the expenditure, and Council members Judy DeBella Thomas, Jeff Starkey, and Mayor Rob Marlowe voting in favor. Phillips had previously presented a plan to spend only $1 million on renovations within the existing building.

The City Council also passed a measure Tuesday to put in place a moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries within the city limits for six months.