An already hot debate got hotter Monday evening at a meeting called in an effort to diffuse the dispute over who will run a Northwest Jacksonville community center.

The Simonds Johnson Park Community Center in Northwest Jacksonville has been the center of much debate, pitting former Jaguars player Tony Boselli against Councilwoman E. Denise Lee in an ever-escalating battle.

The two are at odds over a once-dilapidated recreation center that the Boselli Foundation chipped in money to renovate and reopen.

The foundation planned to also run the center, but at a City Council meeting earlier this month, backers of Lee spoke to the council and complained that they were left out of the renovation process and asked the council not to give the Boselli Foundation a lease to the recreation center.

A letter sent to City Council President Daniel Davis by a critic of Boselli taking over the lease of the community center stated, "The residents in the Simonds Johnson Park community want more time to meet to find the proper and legal way to handle this matter. It is not that we do not trust the people who want to help the community; we want to verify their motives. Remember, Ronald Reagan said, 'Trust but verify.'"

Lee has been unavailable for comment about the issue since that meeting. However, Boselli has been very vocal about the issue, saying he's not trying to do anything underhanded.

Boselli on Monday invited his critics and anyone from the community to visit the fixed-up community center to learn about what he plans to do if he gets the lease to the center.

At the meeting, concerned residents packed the community center and sounded off about the dispute, some even naming skin color as a major issue.

Boselli answered numerous questions from many people who support his plans for the center and some who were frustrated with the way he refurbished the facility.

"I wanted to know why is it the Boseelli Foundation can come onboard with Builder's Care and get this wonderful building redone and get all this done, and I live in Brooklyn and we've been trying to get done for four to five years ? and we even offered to volunteer and we can't get it done," said Ayesha Covington.

Other concerns with Boselli were more personal, including the color of the former NFL player's skin.

"I'm not racist because I'm a pastor," Pastor Jeremiah Robinson said.

However, Robinson, who did not attend Monday's meeting, told Channel 4 one of his concerns in the issue is skin color.

"We don't need a white guy coming in to run this. It says we don't know how to run things. We don't know how to do it," Robinson said.

"It's shocking to me that that comment would even be made. It saddens me. It's ridiculous and shortsighted. It's disappointing more than anything," Boselli said.

Boselli has many supporters, who said they only want to make sure the center stays open for the public.

"They can't take it from the public and do right. We're trying to get more kids in here and make it accessible to the children so the children will have other things than the street to hang out on," said Wilbert Staten.

Boselli said the center is open to anyone as long as they schedule time on a calendar, adding that he won't have any jurisdiction over the basketball courts or ball fields.

"We don't control the park. All we have is this building. The park is open 24 hours a day and anybody in the community can use it at any time they'd like," Boselli said.

Mayor John Peyton talked to Channel 4, saying he hopes the things work out.