Fountain and Security-Widefield are teaming up to explore options for building a new recreation center for both communities.

The Fountain City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to create a 10-person committee to consider how the project could be funded, where the facility could be located, and what programs residents would find most beneficial.

A feasibility study finished earlier this year found that a regional center — including an indoor pool, gymnasium space and fitness floor — would likely cost about $25 million, not including land acquisition. It also identified additional activities that the facility could host, such as youth programs and group exercise classes.

The city of Fountain, Fountain Valley Senior Center, El Paso County, two area school districts and the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region all chipped in funds for the study, which cost about $55,000, Fountain City Manager Scott Trainor said.

Montina Romero, deputy superintendent for Fountain- Fort Carson School District 8, described a rec center as something that’s “sorely missing” from the area, where students often have to travel to Pueblo or Colorado Springs to participate in athletic programs.

The Fountain Valley YMCA offers some amenities, and Widefield also has a community center with a pool. But officials say the area’s rising population has outgrown those facilities.

Opening such a center would likely require Fountain voters to approve a tax increase, said the city’s mayor, Gabriel Ortega. Widefield School District 3 already levies a recreation-specific tax, he added.

The planning of the rec center is in the early stages, so officials haven’t yet established a timeline for moving forward.

“This has really been one of those things that has really been on everybody’s radar,” Ortega said. “Our intent here is really let’s make something happen and let’s see what we can do.”