Parks And Rec Members Ponder Pool, Recreation Center

By Kendra Bobowick

Capital improvements spiced conversations between Parks and Recreation Commission acting Chairman Edward Marks and selectmen Monday night.

On Tuesday the commission listened to what Mr Marks had learned.

Regarding a recreation center/pool outlined in a five-year capital plan, he explained that selectmen had told him, “You don’t know where [the center] is going to be and you don’t know what the facility will consist of.”

Several variables prevent town officials from knowing precisely where or how a recreation center and/or pool will take shape.

Mr Marks said selectmen explained it would be premature to spend on design and engineering when it would cost less for a study. The selectmen recommend, he continued, that commissioners find budget dollars between this year and next to figure out what they sought and how it would come together.

“The good news,” said Mr Marks, “is [the selectmen] said go ahead and use dollars to have an expert take a look.”

The recreation department’s five-year plan lists phase one construction for the recreation center/pool facility at an estimated $5 million with a separate sum of $500,000 for design and engineering consultation for the center and pool occurring first. Undetermined is whether a potential recreation center will serve the Parks and Recreation Department alone or include seniors, teens, or a combination of the age groups.

Mr Rosenthal talked about the center expanding over time, saying, “Other groups, seniors perhaps, a cultural arts group,” may all share an interest in occupying the space. “We may need a modular approach, maybe starting with something modest and expand over time. We need to look at all the possibilities.”

Commissioners are uncertain whether the senior community wants to be in the same facility as recreation programming, but Mr Marks wants to account for the option.

“Something tells me we should put it into the design, whether it’s used or not,” he said.

Overall, Mr Marks said, “After talking with the Board of Selectmen I think [we need to] take a step back and say, ‘Here’s what we’re looking for.’” 

Commission members believe the recreation center — if not a pool — will likely be located at the Fairfield Hills campus, also currently under renovation.

Mr Marks noted, “The Fairfield Hills group has a lot of say over what we do, but [we] should at least come up with something conceptual.”

The Fairfield Hills Authority is in the process of making decisions about the campus and how it will be occupied. Some spaces will serve municipal purposes while other areas will be leased to private tenants. Initial planning for the campus included a master plan that accommodated town department needs including Parks and Recreation’s request for a recreation facility. Mr Rosenthal said, “The Fairfield Hills Authority can determine or recommend where [a recreation center] will go, but the master plan did anticipate it.”

Whether or not a pool is associated with a future recreation center, Mr Rosenthal offered a practical point of view about its location explaining, “We [should] do it in a place that is least expensive, flat, and has access to water and sewer.”

See related story on page A-7 about swimming facilities in Newtown.