Swimming, ice skating, and the arts are among considerations that Community Center Commissioners entertained Tuesday as they plan a new facility. The commission’s charge is to develop a proposal for construction and operation of a center that meets certain standards.

Among groups most outspoken about securing space in the new community center are representatives from Newtown Cultural Arts Commission, and pool and ice rink proponents. Commissioners had invited several guests to speak on October 19, including Newtown Cultural Arts Commission members Laura Lerman and Terry Sagedy; Newtown Swim parents Melissa and Thomas Horan; Christene Freedman, a Newtown resident and development director of Riverbrook Regional YMCA; Kevin McCormack, who represented Danbury Ice Arena; and Newtown Hockey coach Paul Esposito. Also rising to the top of the list are senior citizens, and residents who just hope to have a community space to gather.

The community center is now in planning stages following a $15 million grant from General Electric in the wake of 12/14. Of that grant, $10 million is intended for construction. The remaining $5 million is to support programming at $1 million a year for five years.

The arts are underserved and deserve inclusion in a community center, Mr Sagedy said.

“The arts are bridge builders,” Mr Sagedy told the commissioners, as he flipped through a projected slideshow, each image showing a space converted to showcase the arts. He spoke of theater creating “emotional empathy,” and noted that arts and athletics go “hand in hand,” as do competition and creativity.

“Art works for you, on you, and for all — you aspire to be more,” he said.

Art space is essential, as he saw in the Newtown Cultural Arts Commission’s temporary storefront space HealingNewtown. The space next to Caraluzzi’s Market on Queen Street housed arts activities, displays, and programming for nearly five months in 2013.

The commission next collaborated with the Parks and Recreation Department “to bring arts programming to the community,” that he hopes will “grow with a community center.” Mr Sagedy listed the abundance of fitness and sports programs, hiking trails, courts, fields, parks, and boat launches compared to the small amount of funding and space for arts in town. The commission’s budget is $2,500, he said. “We hope to chip away at the deficit.”

Mr Sagedy said that arts programming can “enrich the soul, enliven the brain, and reach the heart.”

Would the arts commission need dedicated space? He said the arts space could be multi-purpose. Ms Lerman would later say that, “No, we do not need dedicated space.” The arts bring “valuable revenue,” to a town, Mr Sagedy added, generating economic activity. The arts also bring people together “regardless of ethnicity or age.”

Commission member Carla Kron asked about theater space needs, and if the Edmond Town Hall theater was underused. Mr Sagedy mentioned money constraints, and while that stage in the historic building at 45 Main Street could accommodate small productions, they could not build and leave a set in place. He prefers a new space in a community center “because we can tailor it.”

Member Brian Leidlein wanted to know about the HealingNewtown space by Caraluzzi’s.

“Was it adequate?” he asked. Ms Lerman said the 12,000 square feet “was a beginning.”

As conversation drifted to a possible school closing and repurposing, or whether the arts could make money, commission cochair Andy Clure reigned them back to “the original question: what do you want?”

“Twelve hundred square feet that can accommodate,” Ms Lerman said. “A big room like that could really help the arts.”

“Flexible performance space could be used by lots of people for lots of programs,” David Wheeler said.

Kinga Walsh wanted “all the little details” about the group’s needs, which would help them determine if the space is affordable with the money they have to spend, and if the facility could sustain itself.

Building Relationships, Connecting Community Members

Christene Freedman next explained her facility. Riverbrook Regional YMCA, which is located in Wilton, is “all about building relationships and connecting community members,” she said. It contains a 50-meter pool — the same size that swim proponents in Newtown favor. The pool is beneath a retractable enclosure so it is outdoors in the summer and sheltered in the winter.

“We do a lot of swimming,” she said. The YMCA is “our hub,” a multipurpose space where people can be together. It contains programs for seniors and children.

Mr Buchler asked if permanent things such as a ballet barre, mirrors, or sinks were in the space.

“Yes,” she said.

The YMCA also has space for arts programming and youth development, Ms Freedman said.

Would the lack of a 50-meter pool affect your facility, Mr Leidlein asked. Ms Freedman said Riverbrook is the only 50-meter pool in the area.

“We can offer competitive swimming, and can remove the bubble to be outdoors, we can offer competitive swimming, and we can divide it and have a rec pool and lap pool,” Ms Freedman said.

The YMCA rents the pool and other spaces for parties, works with the schools on programming, and offers a teen center and after school space, she said.

“We look to collaborate, not be competitive,” Ms Freedman said.

Noting something the members have been “struggling with,” who would manage or staff a community center, Mr Buchler asked Ms Freedman who ran her facility. She noted a large staff of both full time and part time personnel.

Ice Arena Pros & Cons

Mr McCormack, representing Danbury Ice Arena, next spoke, offering what he called the “realities,” of running an arena.

It would offer something to a “small pie” of a population, and another arena “will divide pie into smaller pieces.” He felt that the commission would need at least $6 million for roughly 40,000 square feet and a single sheet of ice with minimal seating.

“Having money to build is easy,” he said. “It costs a lot of money to run.”

Fees for programming are “structured to cover costs, the trick is getting people to come,” he added. 

He feels his arena is “close enough, and maybe we’re not providing to Newtown what we need to.” He is always willing to improve that, he said.

Hockey coach and Newtown Middle School teacher Paul Esposito, who has been espousing an ice arena in Newtown for several years, and frequently since the Community Center Commission convened, said that maybe he needs to “rebrand” the ice arena as a community rink that could be multifaceted and “accommodate other needs in Newtown.”

He countered several points raised by Mr McCormack, saying he feels the Newtown population will support a rink.

“In the winter it’s a draw, when it’s too cold out it’s a place to go,” Mr Esposito said.

He would also prefer to drop off his child at a Newtown rink, rather than travel 20 to 40 minutes three times a week to another location.

NCCC member Rob Cox said asked how much was already being spent for Newtown teams or leagues to travel out of town and rent ice time elsewhere. He inquired about how much money was “leaving town,” for an ice rink.

Mr Cox said a rink is “the one thing that’s not here, the issue is, with only $10 million, it’s tough. He asked about a grand plan and what else the town might do over the next several years, saying a rink might be “part of that conversation.”

John Bocuzzi Sr said he could support a rink, but expressed concern for the town to run and maintain it. A rink is expensive to build and maintain, and difficult to run. If a version of an ice rink is incorporated into the community center recommendation, then the architects “will have to figure out,” how best to work it in, he said.

Carla Kron visited the rink in Shelton and saw that much of their ice time was used up by teams, without a lot of time for the public.

“I get the feeling that facilities need to be rented out to be profitable,” she said.

Mr Buchler wanted more facts about staffing and running a rink, and a potential business model.

Results from a recent online townwide survey and assessments of recent public forums will be discussed at a November 10 meeting, co-chair Andy Cure said.

The NCCC Public Relations Subcommittee is scheduled to meet at Edmond Town Hall on October 22. The single item on the agenda posted for the meeting, to begin at 7, is to analyze the results of the survey.