County Councilman Randy Horiuchi said Thursday the city probably deserves a recreation center from the ZAP funds. He wanted to put one in Glendale when the sales tax was approved in 1996 to fund cultural and recreation projects. The timing may be right, as the city builds a new community center there that must have a health and fitness component.

"In many ways the city was, I won't say they were shortchanged, [but] we should recognize they do collect a lot of the [ZAP] tax," Horiuchi said. "This would certainly top my list for projects."

Salt Lake City turned to the county since it decided it cannot wait for the YMCA of Greater Salt Lake to build the fitness center. The YMCA had shown interest in putting a center next to the Unity Center, which will contain a performing arts theater and classrooms and will be built with $4.5 million in donations. But the YMCA needed several more months to study the Glendale project and to then to see if it could raise the millions of dollars necessary to build it.

But the city needs to break ground on the center no later than March in order to open it by winter 2005.

"The process they felt they needed to follow . . . was a process that just didn't meet our timetable," said Rick Graham, director of public services. "The county is getting our full attention for the health and fitness component."

Glendale residents said a recreation center, especially one that serves adults, is one of their top priorities for the Unity Center.

Besides using ZAP, Graham said the county could bond for the recreation center or allocate capital improvement funds.

Voters will decide next month if ZAP, a one-tenth of 1 percent sales tax, will be renewed. Then a county committee will decide which projects are the priorities for the $14 million to $16 million annually generated. "Until everything's reauthorized, we're not having any discussions about where any of the funding would be used," said Kristie Marshall, ZAP program manager. "It's too early."

The County Council ultimately decides where to spend ZAP. Horiuchi said Glendale will "skyrocket" to the top of the list because of the Unity Center's synergy. The community center will be next to the Sorenson Multi-Cultural Center, which already has a swimming pool, classrooms and a gym, albeit a run-down gym. The LDS Church donated land for the Unity Center and several private groups and individuals raised the $4.5 million for the building.

Graham hopes to know the county's position by the end of the year. If the county balks, the city will build the fitness portion. Since the city is adamant it will not spend any money operating the center, the county might run the fitness portion.