Renovation of CT sports and entertainment arena will need to downsize as cost skyrockets
A major renovation of Hartford’s XL Center would cost tens of millions
of dollars more than an estimate of $107 million, throwing into
uncertainty a
long-debated makeover of the aging arena and likely forcing another
downsizing.
Five months ago, the Capital Region Development Authority sought bids for what the already-downsized renovation of the sports and entertainment arena would actually cost. Since then, an analysis by the quasi-public CRDA of the bids — covering the individual components of the project — came in at more than $140 million. That’s not only well above the estimate, but also the state funding and private investment tentatively in place to finance the renovation.
Freimuth said the $140 million is clearly a “nonstarter.”
But Freimuth said he believes the project could be trimmed down to $125
million, making some deep cuts without sacrificing what is needed to make the
venue profitable, critical to securing the private investment.
“I think we’re close, but we’re not there,” Freimuth said.
The approach will require a new set of bids, as required
under the state’s procurement rules, Freimuth said. A decision would be pushed
out until June and it’s not certain, even then, if the project will go forward.
If it does, renovations would potentially get underway in the fall.
If the next set of bids comes in close to the $125 million,
the project still may require additional money, perhaps from the local
corporate community.
Freimuth said if the bids are again too high, the venue may
be forced to continue to “muddle through” as it has, making repairs in
“band-aid” fashion.
CRDA’s board of directors at their monthly meeting Thursday
were supportive of pursuing another round of bids,
Board member Andy F. Bessette, chief administrative officer
at Travelers Co., said he found support for the renovation among senior state
officials to whom he has recently spoken.
“I’d say the mindset is very positive,” Bessette said. “It’s
not like they’re saying blow it up or stop it or whatever. I think there is
real support in the legislature and above. Everyone understands how important
it is to downtown and to Hartford.”
This latest development on the cost of an arena renovation
comes after more than a decade of disagreement over the future of the arena,
which turns 50 next year.
Opponents of a makeover have long argued that it is too
costly for state taxpayers, and the building should eventually be closed.
Typically, the venue has lost $2 million a year, more during the pandemic.
Supporters say it is an essential part of downtown’s
ecosystem and a regional asset. With an expected shift to less office space and
more housing, the arena could emerge with even more importance, as
entertainment rises in prominence.
The opening last year of a $5 million sports betting venue
at the arena was seen as a prelude to the bigger renovation.
Whittling down
The renovations are aimed at making the XL Center more
competitive with new arenas to attract more events; help the venue turn around
a money-losing track record and carry it through another two decades.
The current plan — downsized from $250 million a few years
ago — concentrates on adding premium seating to the lower half of the arena,
which command higher ticket prices.
The premium seating — includes “loge” seating off the
concourse, club space under the stands and “bunker suites” at the event level —
plus upgraded concessions are all intended to increase the arena’s revenue.
Technology also would be a priority to better accommodate
electronic ticketing, phone app transactions and the heavy social media posting
and texting during events.
Whittling down the renovation might mean cutting out the
reconfiguration of the loading dock to get trucks connected with shows and
concerts in and out more quickly, saving $18 million, Freimuth said.
There might be less premium seating, say, fewer bunker
suites, Freimuth said.
Freimuth said technology has to be a priority in whatever
form the renovation takes. Upgrades to electrical systems are another must-have
to accommodate the ever-increasing needs of shows and concerts, Freimuth said.
Attracting more concerts
The state legislature has approved a total of $80 million in
public funding for the renovation in recent years.
Gov. Ned Lamont has supported a significant upgrade to the
XL Center, but only with private investment that would ease the burden on state
taxpayers who would pick up the largest part of the tab.
Last year, state lawmakers backed a plan that would allow at
least $20 million in private investment in the project.
Los Angeles-based Oak View Group, which now runs the
day-to-day operations at XL, has expressed a strong interest in investing in
the XL Center for nearly two years. OVG has been in negotiations with CRDA over
the level of the investment.
OVG has a depth of experience in repositioning sports and
entertainment venues. The organization manages 300 sports and entertainment
venues globally and redevelops others.
OVG’s investment is tied strongly to attracting more
concerts to the XL Center, events that are large money makers for modern
arenas. But to draw more big-name concert bookings, renovations also will have
to include relocation of the stage to increase the number of seats that have a
unobstructed view of performers; build the overhead structure needed for modern
light shows; and retrofit a loading dock at the back of the arena to move shows
in and out more quickly.
If OVG agrees to invest, the organization would
significantly expand its operation of the arena, including negotiating
contracts with major tenants such as the University of Connecticut and paying
for the majority of repairs to the building, excluding major big-ticket
improvements.
The legislation calls for OVG to absorb any annual net
losses at the arena, but it would keep the first $4 million in net profits.
Above $4 million, net profits would be split between OVG and CRDA.
Connecticut wants to penalize insurers for backing fossil fuel projects
The nation’s insurance
industry has gone haywire in recent years amid a succession of floods, fires,
and other climate-fueled disasters.
These catastrophes have forced carriers to pay out billions in claims, and many
have responded by raising premiums in disaster-prone states like Florida and Oregon or
leaving certain markets altogether.
But many of these companies ao provide coverage for fossil
fuel projects, like pipelines and natural gas power plants, that would never be
built without their backing. This gives the insurance industry a unique role on
both sides of the climate crisis: Insurers are helping make the problem worse
by underwriting the very projects that warm the Earth even as they bear the
costs of mounting climate disasters and pass them on to customers.
Legislation in Connecticut, the capital of the American
insurance industry and home to several of its largest carriers, could make
insurers pay for that contradiction. If passed, the bill, which just cleared a
committee vote in the state Senate, would move toward imposing a fee for any
fossil fuel projects companies insure in-state. That revenue would go into a
public resilience fund that could underwrite sea walls and urban flood
protection measures.
“It’s important to begin to hold [insurers] accountable for
how they’ve played it both ways in terms of climate change,” said Tom Swan, the
executive director of Connecticut Citizen Action Group, an economic justice
nonprofit that has joined several environmental organizations in lobbying the
legislature to pass the bill. “People are seeing skyrocketing rates, or they’re
pulling out of different areas, and they continue to underwrite and invest in
fossil fuels at a pace much greater than their colleagues across the globe,” he
said.
The group pushed a more aggressive proposal last year that would have
charged insurers a 5 percent fee for any fossil fuel coverage they issued in
the United States, but that bill failed after critics raised several legal
questions. In particular, the industry argued that the Constitution’s interstate
commerce clause prohibits taxing a company’s out-of-state business.
The new version, attached as an amendment to a climate resilience bill proposed by Democratic Gov.
Ned Lamont, would only require the state to produce a proposal for an insurance
mechanism. The surcharge would apply only to fossil fuel projects these
companies insure in Connecticut, avoiding that constitutional challenge.
The assessment would apply not only to new pipelines and
fuel terminals, which require ample insurance to attract lenders and investors,
but to current coverage for existing infrastructure as well. This means anyone
covering the state’s dozens of oil- and gas-fueled power plants would be
contributing to the resilience fund. A report from Connecticut Citizen Action
Group and several other environmental nonprofits found that the state’s
insurers have together invested $221 billion in fossil fuels.
Supporters argue the reduced fee would still raise tens or
hundreds of millions of dollars for climate resilience. Connecticut received
about $318 million in FEMA disaster aid between 2011 and 2021, or about $149 in
spending per capita, according
to the climate adaptation nonprofit Rebuild by Design. That puts the
state well below disaster-prone locales like Louisiana, which saw $1,736 in
federal disaster aid per capita, but far above those like Delaware that haven’t
experienced a major disaster in the past decade.
Eric George, the president of the Insurance Association of
Connecticut, the state’s largest insurance trade association, said the
organization would “strongly oppose” any surcharge, but added that he was still
studying the bill.
The legislation comes as other states, including Vermont and
Maryland, introduce
“polluters pay” bills to hold oil producers accountable for climate
damages. Connecticut’s proposed law is an iteration of that effort focused on
an area where state regulators wield significant influence, said Risalat Khan
of the Sunrise Project, a nonprofit focused on energy transition policy.
“People are very directly seeing their premiums rise, in
relation to climate disasters,” he said. “There’s a direct question there of,
why aren’t state level regulators using more of their power to take local
action?”
The significance of this financing mechanism could vary from
state to state, says Benjamin Keys, a professor of economics at the University
of Pennsylvania and an expert on climate insurance risks.
“One major issue is that the fuels are collected and burned
everywhere, but the pain of natural disasters is local in nature,” he said.
Because of that, he questioned whether the financing mechanism “would be
feasible for all communities to emulate, because many places have [lots of]
disasters hit, but very little in the way of fossil fuel production.” Florida,
for instance, doesn’t have much more fossil fuel infrastructure than
Connecticut, but faces extreme weather and other catastrophes far more often.
Even though the legislation is weaker than the previous
version, supporters say passing it in the home of the country’s insurance
industry would send a message to big companies that are still underwriting oil
and gas projects.
“I think it’s a good policy, but from a narrative-setting
perspective, it’s really important,” said Swan.
Proposed Budget Boosts IIJA Transportation Construction Programs
LUCY PERRY
Citing its vision to protect and build on the progress made
over the past three years, the Biden administration released its proposed
budget for the 2025 fiscal year. With almost $79 billion earmarked for highway,
safety and transit programs, the budget also adds $9.5 billion to support the
resilience, safety and sustainability of the nation's transportation network
via the bipartisan infrastructure law.
Enacted in late 2021, IIJA is the Biden administration's
outline for "building a better America," according to the Federal
Transit Administration.
IIJA supports the rebuild of roads, bridges and rails and
upgrades and expands public transit. The bipartisan law modernizes the nation's
ports and airports, tackles the climate crisis and advances environmental
justice.
It invests in "communities that have too often been
left behind," said the White House. "It will drive the creation of
good-paying union jobs and grow the economy sustainably and equitably to help
everyone get ahead for decades to come."
In announcing Biden's FY2025 proposal to its members, ARTBA
pointed out that the president's proposed budget "is rarely acted on by
Congress."
However, the proffered budget "serves as the annual
starting gun in the race to get spending bills done by the start of the new
fiscal year," said the association.
Pointing out that Congress has failed to meet that goal,
ARTBA officials said the organization will work to ensure full IIJA funding by
Sept. 30 of this year.
The White House said that the proposal continues its goal of
implementing the president's agenda of investing in America.
"The budget provides a total of $78.4 billion for
highway, highway safety and transit formula programs," said the fed.
This amount supports monies authorized for year four of the
bipartisan infrastructure law, the White House noted.
It also "reflects an additional $9.5 billion … for
bridge replacement and rehabilitation (and) EV charging infrastructure,"
said the fed.
The president "called for full funding of core federal
surface transportation and airport capital investment programs at previously
authorized levels," said ARTBA.
The association noted that the proposed fiscal year 2025
budget sets $61.2 billion for federal highway programs. ARTBA said when
combined with the IIJA's previous $9.5 billion, it brings total core highway
capital investment to $71.6 billion.
"This would be an $800 million increase over
IIJA-approved funding levels," said ARTBA, adding that the increase would
be seen in grant programs.
Capital investment grant program resources would total $4
billion for transit construction. That adds $2.4 billion in FY 2025
appropriations to the $1.6 billion earmarked in IIJA spending. Grants totaling
$8.4 billion would go to improving airport facilities including runways,
taxiways and terminals.
"The funds are from a $3.4 billion budget request,
combined with advance appropriations of $5 billion from the IIJA," said
ARTBA.
The budget also includes an administration call for congress
to allow states and localities to use core transit and highway resources for
transit operating costs.
"The same request was made in FY 2024, but was
ultimately rejected by lawmakers," said ARTBA.
Building On Momentum
Pete Buttigieg said Biden's budget allows the industry to
continue advancing "vital" work under way across the country.
That is making travel safer on every mode of transportation,
said the USDOT secretary.
"The budget protects and builds on progress,"
strengthening supply chains to keep costs down and modernizing
infrastructure," said Buttigieg. "Americans are already seeing the
roads being repaired, new bus and bike infrastructure being built, goods moving
more smoothly from ships to shelves."
President Biden's proposed budget, which requests $109.3
billion for DOT, will accelerate all of this progress, he added.
The budget sets aside $21.8 billion for the FAA, including
funding to continue the air traffic controller hiring and training surge.
"With funding, the FAA has a plan to hire at least
2,000 new controllers in order to meet growing air travel demand into the
future," said Buttigieg.
The agency also will invest $3.6 billion to sustain the
National Airspace System, and $8 billion over five years in aviation safety,
efficiency and facilities.
The budget would "crack down on a corporate jet funding
loophole," said the DOT secretary.
He said the budget takes "a critical step" to
stabilize funding for the National Airspace "which has largely been funded
by commercial air passengers."
Commercial passengers currently pay a 7.5 percent tax on
tickets plus a passenger facility charge up to $4.50, he said.
"Meanwhile, private jet users only pay fuel surcharge
taxes" of roughly 22 cents a gallon.
And private jets make up 7 percent of flights handled by FAA
while contributing only .6 percent of the taxes in the Airport and Airway Trust
Fund.
"The president's FY2025 Budget proposes a phased-in
fuel fee increase to $1.06 per gallon for private jets," said Buttigieg.
Phased in over five years, this fuel fee increase would be
the first update seen in decades, he said.
The proposed budget would improve roads and ensure the most
important U.S. bridges remain safe and operational, he added.
He said after "decades of disinvestment," Biden's
budget would give $62 billion to FHWA to modernize and improve roads and
bridges.
That money also would support state safety programs and help
communities complete infrastructure projects.
"This is an increase of more than 30 percent compared
to 2021," said Buttigieg, including another $675 million for the Bridge
Investment Program.
The addition will mean "the department can award more
communities the funding to advance critical transportation projects and create
good-paying jobs," he said. "In total, the resident's bipartisan
infrastructure law invests a record $40 billion to fix thousands of our
nation's bridges."
Rail safety and passenger rail would be increased and
improved with the $3.2 billion earmarked for the federal railroad
administration.
The money would go to improving the safety and condition of
railroad infrastructure and rail services that move freight and passengers,
said Buttigieg.
"This includes $2.5 billion for Amtrak and increasing
safety inspector staffing to a record 400 inspectors and adding new staff
dedicated to safety audits."
The budget also would fund reliable, safe and accessible
transit, said Buttigieg.
In fact, $16.8 billion would go to the FTA to support urban
and rural transit service. That includes $2.4 billion in grants for major
capital projects.
"Other portions of the budget request will strengthen
supply chains at our nation's ports," said the DOT secretary.
That includes an $80 million investment in the Port
Infrastructure Development Program. It also includes additional support for
shipping on the St. Lawrence Seaway, for pipeline safety inspections and
innovation and emerging technologies.
The budget achieves "meaningful deficit reduction
through measures that cut wasteful spending and ask the wealthy to pay their
fair share," said Buttigieg.
Vitamin Boost for Transit
The president's proposal to congress boosts transit projects
across the country. Buttigieg has included $4 billion for 14 projects in 11
states in the ask.
The federal support will come through the FTA capital
investment grants and expedited project delivery pilot programs, according to
the agency.
"The subway systems, commuter rail, light rail,
streetcar and bus rapid transit projects will bring about transformative change
in their communities."
This, by providing transit opportunities to new riders, will
create jobs and jumpstart economic development, he added.
"The Biden-Harris Administration has awarded nearly
$100 billion from the IIJA to support transit agencies of all sizes."
Buttigieg touted the funding, saying when transit reaches
more people and communities its impact is greater.
"The Biden-Harris Administration is proud to support funding for 14 large projects that will expand transit for millions of Americans across the country."
Veronica Vanterpool, acting FTA administrator, said the
investments support Biden's commitment to combat climate change.
They also improve safety, advance equity and improve quality
of life for Americans, she added.
Seven of the 14 projects would receive funding for the first
time while others already are under construction or are far enough along to
receive a grant.
FTA also outlined several proposed provisions to increase
access to and effectiveness of federal funds across American communities.
The agency would support equity in rural and tribal areas by
waiving the match required in the applicable grants programs. It also would
waive the match requirement for tribal applicants to the buses and bus
facilities and low and no-emission competitive programs.
The proposed budget would "address the fiscal
cliff" by allowing use of urbanized area formula funds and FHWA flex funds
for urban operating assistance. It would empower local authorities by enabling
transit agencies to purchase property outside an existing transit corridor
falling in line with FHWA policies.
The budget would unlock micromobility systems by allowing
grantees to fund shared systems, such as bicycles and scooters, to connect
transit stations.
Finally, it would lower bus costs and speed up delivery by
authorizing FTA to encourage delivery of low- and no-emission buses.
Which means there's something for the EPA to smile about as
well in the proposed budget which achieves meaningful deficit reduction, said
Michael Regan, EPA administrator.
The proposal bolsters the agency's efforts by investing
nearly $1.5 billion in justice-related programs and the budget prioritizes
combatting climate change with the urgency that science demands, he said.
And it provides $1.5 billion for the Office of Air and
Radiation to develop policies and programs that control air pollution and
radiation exposure. CEG
Hartford mixed-income housing project gets $5 million in state funding to build 50 more units
HARTFORD — The redevelopment of the now-demolished Bowles
Park apartments in Hartford's Blue Hills neighborhood will enter its fourth
stage with the help of $5 million in state
funding.
At the site of
the old Bowles Park, a 410-unit state
housing complex, sits Willow Creek, a mixed-income housing facility with
several community amenities. The most recent round of the Community Investment
Fund grant money will help develop 50 additional affordable rental units as
well as infrastructure improvements.
"The Community Investment Fund is allowing the next
phase of Willow Creek to move forward to get more Hartford families access to
the quality housing they are looking for," Speaker of the House Matt
Ritter, D-Hartford, said in a statement.
CIF plans to provide $875 million to eligible municipalities
and nonprofits within them by 2030. The eligible municipalities are
"historically underserved."
The initial phases of the Willow Creek development resulted
in 135 units of mixed-income, affordable housing. But in the application to the
CIF, the developers stated that the demolition of Bowles
Park had created an affordability gap. They cited a wait
list 4,500 families long for housing options.
Willow Creek is a public-private partnership. The Hartford
Housing Authority owns the land occupied by the first 135 units and several
acres of the site remain vacant for additional phases of construction. The
developer for the project is Overlook Development and the property is managed
by Imagineers.
Matthew Pugliese, deputy commissioner of the Department of
Economic and Community Development, said while this isn't the first phase of
the Willow Creek project, it is the first phase funded by CIF funds.
He also said that in addition to the 50 new units, the $5
million from CIF this round will help put infrastructure in place to help lay
the groundwork for future phases resulting in 130 more units.
These infrastructure improvements include new roads,
sidewalks, parking spaces, retention area, and utilities. The upgrades will
also include solar panels.
Ritter called Willow Creek a "model for housing
developments in Hartford."
"When I visited the first phase back in 2019, I was
struck by the community feel," Ritter said.
Unlike Bowles Park, which was a 1950s-era complex made of
square brick buildings with bars over the lower windows, Willow Creek resembles
a neighborhood with homes of various sizes, colors, and shapes. The lawns are
well-manicured and there are sidewalks connecting the units.
The work at Willow Creek closely mirrors progress at The
Village at Park River, which was created after the demolition of Westbrook
Village, a similarly outdated affordable housing complex.
Developers
at The Village at Park River previously said that their goal was to
move away from the "barrack-style" public housing of the past and
create a community.
The transformation of a 1928 building into new Farmington Town Hall is underway
FARMINGTON — For so many townspeople, the 1928-era building
at Farmington High School is a landmark, a structure whose walls safeguard the
memories of generations of residents.
So, when the
prospect of destruction loomed over the oldest section of the original high
school, local residents wouldn't let the building's history be reduced to
rubble.
"They're like, 'Wow, this has been our icon, a center
focus of town.' When you see it, you know, when you drive up the hill, that
building's always going to be there," said Town Council Chairman Joseph
Capodiferro. "And now to think that the possibility of destroying
it ... People are talking about, what can we do to try to repurpose that
building?"
And in an April
2023 referendum, voters decided
the fate of the nearly 100-year-old building, with an overwhelming
consensus to save and renovate it.
Now, what was once classrooms for generations of youth is
being transformed into Farmington's brand new Town Hall, a multimillion dollar
project currently underway and on track for completion in fall 2025.
“We had the chance and now we're doing it," said
Capodiferro, who also serves on the town's 1928 Building Committee. "To
preserve a piece of our history, repurpose it, and to still be proud of
it."
For years, space has been an issue at the current Town Hall,
Capodiferro said. Many departments are spread out in different buildings, and
past efforts to find a new place have failed, he said.
But through this project, the building will become what
Capodiferro refers to as a "one-stop shop" for town staff and
residents, with all municipal functions consolidated into one location.
And when the rest of the existing high school is demolished
this summer for the new
Farmington High School, which will be adjacent to it, renovation will take
place on the 1928 building.
"Doing this project in conjunction with the new
Farmington High School project will result in cost savings and efficiencies
with the site work, utilities, paving, and landscaping work," according to
the 1928 Building Committee website. "It was determined that if the 1928
Building is to remain from a financial and structural standpoint, both projects
should be done in conjunction with one another."
As for the existing Town Hall at 1 Monteith Drive, that will
become the Town Hall Annex, providing space for community use, social service
programs, additional town storage, and an expanded Regional Probate Court,
according to the website. Proposed plans for the new Town Hall include the
addition of a new entrance with a secure vestibule and reception area, and
municipal offices on each floor.
Although the total project cost is $16 million, Farmington
taxpayers will be responsible for about $9 million of the cost, offset by the
use of $7 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, according to town
officials.
The 1928 building renovation already has Plan and Zoning
approval and is currently in the last phase of design, and the 1928 Building
Committee anticipates putting this project out to bid later this spring,
according to town officials.
Town Engineer Russ Arnold anticipates finalizing
architectural specifications and plans by the end of April. With about a year
and a half for construction, that puts the completion date somewhere around
September or October of next year, he said.
“We have the ability now to take something that meant a lot
to a population of people and repurpose it for a different use without losing
it,” Capodiferro said. “It's a gorgeous building and I couldn't imagine driving
by that area now, looking up, and not seeing that."
And the building won't just serve a municipal purpose.
Because part of the structure was originally the gymnasium,
cafeteria, and auditorium, that two-story space will be converted into
multipurpose recreational space and classroom studio for various recreation
programs, restoring it back to its original use as a gymnasium, according to
town officials.
The gym space will not be a regulation basketball court but can be used for the town’s youth basketball program. The gym space can also be used for pickleball, volleyball, badminton, or other recreational programs, according to town officials.
Even in its renovated state, the 1928 Building Committee is
committed to retaining the history and beauty of the building, focusing
restoration efforts on its exterior as well as the cupola, according to town
officials.
“We are trying to keep to the aesthetic look that it has
today and when it was built,” Capodiferro said. “The only thing that you'll see
differently will be on the backside of it, where the new entrance will be.”
Essentially, the only new part of the building is going to
be the entrance, with a storefront doorway and patio entryway, on the northwest
corner of the building, Arnold said.
"Everything else is going to remain brick and
mortar," he said, adding that residents need not fear losing the
building's limestone coping.
And while the project is underway, local residents
themselves have the chance to become a part of the building's history through
the recently announced Buy
a Brick Fundraiser, in which townspeople can buy and engrave a brick for
the main entrance of the renovated building. Funds go toward the Stephen A.
Flis Scholarship, dedicated to the former town manager and established for
students pursuing a career in public service.
Small, medium, large: Options for East Lyme Community Center upgrades run the gamut
Elizabeth Regan
East Lyme ― A vision for the aging Community Center laid out
by a team of specialists in architecture, landscape design and community
engagement has given the Board of Selectmen a lot to consider as it weighs what
the community wants against how much taxpayers can afford to pay.
Consultant Brian Cleveland, of Brian Cleveland Architects,
on Wednesday presented the feasibility study he was hired to produce with
$38,000 in federal pandemic relief funding.
Three options, costing an estimated $8.3 million to $17.5
million, represent what he described as “varying degrees of expansion or
renovation” to the building built almost 35 years ago on Society Road.
The 61-page report described “a prospective vision” and
program options that will need to be analyzed going forward.
First Selectman Dan Cunningham called the document a
conversation starter.
“I think we have a lot to look at,” he said.
For Selectwoman Candice Carlson, it was a wish list.
“How are we going to pay for it?” she asked, referencing a
budgeting priority of Cunningham’s that prioritizes needs over wants. “There’s
a lot of wants in here.”
Cleveland identified replacement of the original roof and
more accessibility for those with disabilities among the most pressing needs.
The lowest-priced option would reconfigure the layout of the
building and update the grounds. The middle option, coming in at $11.1 million,
would add a second floor over the library. The most expensive option would
include everything in the first two options, plus the construction of a
freestanding field house with interior basketball courts and an exterior
climbing wall.
The small, medium and large options would expand the
35,085-square-foot building to 39,140 square feet, 45,800 square feet and
60,776 square feet, respectively.
The concepts are based on priorities expressed in meetings
with department heads and focus groups of seniors, library patrons and teens.
Jade Esplin of the New York-based Margaret Sullivan Studio said the main themes
everyone agreed upon involve enhanced outdoor space, more room for events and
lectures, and small meeting rooms where the town’s social service providers can
meet with clients.
There was also a focus on forging “intergenerational
connections” within the building that includes the senior center, youth center
and library. One popular request was for a cafe Esplin said would serve as a
“casual spot for all generations to meet up, grab a cup of coffee and hang
out.”
All three options propose a cafe be located in the shared
lobby area as “a central gathering hub” for the community.
Aris Stalis of Aris Land Studios pitched outdoor concepts
that range from open spaces to play, gather and garden in the lowest-cost
option to a covered stage and a greenhouse in the most expensive plan.
It also includes what Stalis characterized as the most
important elements of the outdoor plan: the safety considerations inherent in
new pedestrian paths and parking configuration.
“If anything, one of the things that really needs to be
addressed is creating a series of walkways from the schools,” he said of
neighboring Lillie B. Haynes School and East Lyme Middle School. “We have
crosswalks, then it’s just like ‘alright, go anywhere.’”
He also reconfigured the parking lot with spaces
perpendicular to the building, which he said makes room for about a dozen more
vehicles and is more safe to walk through.
Planning ahead
East Lyme Public Library Executive Director Lisa Timothy
told selectmen there’s less dedicated library space in the base option than it
has currently.
“$8 million for less space would be problematic,” she said.
The report said 14,340 square feet currently allocated to
the library would decrease to 13,852 square feet in the first option. The third
option would expand the library’s area to 17,764 square feet.
“Something’s got to give here,” she said. “I’m reasonable.
$17 million is a lot. But I think we can think outside the box and use this as
a starting point to start discussing priorities and how to adapt some of this
into something that’s beneficial for the whole community.”
The library is currently seeking input from residents through a survey as part
of its strategic planning process.
Timothy pointed to $2 million in state grant funding for
libraries that could be used for the renovation, as well as federal grant money
that could be used for space dedicated to the exhibition and storage of
Nehantic tribal artifacts being acquired by the East Lyme Historical Society.
Senior Center Director Kristen Caramanica said her
department could also bring in grant funding for the project.
Selectwoman Rose Ann Hardy emphasized the importance of
having a vision to help guide planning in the near and long term.
“It’s not just (about) what we need, but thinking ahead to
our grandchildren,” she said. “Thinking about what we want our community to be
like.”
It’s a conversation that has to happen “before the roof
falls in,” according to Hardy.
“Then we have to do it,” she said of the building project.
“And what’s been damaged in the meantime?”