JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Once a dilapidated building, the recreation center on Moncrief Road near Golfair Boulevard has been completely renovated. Nonetheless, the Simon Johnson Community Center has been the center of much debate.

Tuesday night, former Jaguars player, Tony Boselli, spoke out to City Council about a lease dispute with a council member over the recreation center that his foundation helped renovate.

Boselli went in front of the council to make his point and the debate became visibly heated both inside and outside council chambers.

The city still owns the building and Boselli is trying to lease it, but Councilwoman Denise Lee said she doesn't think that should happen.

"I don't understand why all the name-calling, the accusations and the untruths are happening. It just makes me want to fight more. It's just how ridiculous it is," Boselli said.

Some residents who live near the refurbished recreation center were at Tuesday night's City Council meeting and said they were not happy about how Boselli made his deal with the city to fix up the Simon Johnson Community Center.

"We were not a part of the process in giving Tony Boselli the use of that park. The community should have been a part of that. The previous administration, our city councilwoman did not call us, did not send fliers to us, did not invite us to anything pertaining to our park," said Lucrecia McBride.

The City Council did not vote on the lease Tuesday night after a heated debate between the people who don’t like the redesign and Boselli, whose primary argument was that the center was in disarray and his foundation along with a lot of other people have only made it better.

"I've never heard something being just about a lease and not being personal and taking so many personal shots in my whole life," Boselli said.

Lee has been the primary opponent of the recreation center lease.

Boselli also had a lot of supporters at the meeting who said they used the center and that Boselli has done a great thing by rehabbing the facility.

City Council will have the final decision on whether to grant Boselli the lease. That decision is expected to be made on Dec. 27.