The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Working Group is continuing its review of department requests for possible uses of the town’s $7.5 million American Rescue Plan funding, and Newtown Community Center (NCC) pitched for a number of capital projects to help make up for revenue shortfalls due to the pandemic.

While the community center is meant to be self-funded and self-sustaining, COVID-19 broke the center’s momentum soon after its opening, NCC Director Matt Ariniello said during the work group’s February 15 meeting. Ariniello said the community lost approximately $500,000 in revenue over the last two years, including $400,000 due to a forced closure in 2020. The other $100,000 was lost due to capacity restrictions, decreased usage due to case increases and usage fears, cancellations of events, and decreased membership.

Ariniello said the community center is seeking reimbursement to “offset revenue loss to allow the Community Center to better fulfill its vision,” and “strengthen the self-sustaining model.”

Community Center Commission Chairman Kinga Walsh said they were “trying to bring the center back to whole.”

While the center does have a $5 million endowment from General Electric, of which approximately $3.7 million is left, it is trying as much as possible to not use that money for expensive capital projects. Its goal is to “stretch that money as far as possible” to cover any revenue or budget shortfalls, to keep the center from using taxpayer funding as much as possible.

The first project the center is seeking money for is to complete its patio project. The center is asking for $155,000. While the foundation areas are complete, including the water line, lighting and gas line, the project is unfinished.

The patio will be a “great addition” to the center’s campus, said Ariniello, and will create “untapped revenue generating opportunities through events and programming options.”

Walsh said that while the “padded down dirt” area that is the future site of the patio is “usable,” finishing the project will allow for more options. The double doors into the building located there will “allow for inside/outside” opportunities for groups looking to rent or use the area.

“One of the visions was having an evening event, with a tent and people could go in or out,” said Walsh.

ARP Working Group member Ed Schierloh noted that the padded dirt area looks “unfinished.”

“It’s an eyesore,” Ariniello agreed.

Additional Project Requests

The projects Ariniello presented to the workgroups were in order of priority, so while the patio is the center’s top priority, its next most important project is an outdoor splash pad. The splash pad will be a collaborative project with the Friends of the Newtown Community Center. The project’s total cost is expected to be $400,000. NCC is asking for $200,000 from ARP funding. The Friends will be paying for fencing, seating and shade structures.

The splash pad, which will offer a number of features that will spray water, will enhance the center’s offerings to members for summertime programming.

“It creates an extended space that improves current programming as well as offers options for new programming and unique summer programming,” said Ariniello.

The splash pad was in the original plans for the center but was “taken out early on.” Water lines were installed with an eye towards doing the splash pad later.

“I do think there will be a return on investment” by installing the splash pad, Ariniello said. “It will help decrease summer revenue loss and increase summer programming. It will enhance our offerings.”

ARP Working Group members expressed concerns about whether the Friends would be able to raise all the money in time, since the town has a deadline of 2024 to allocate all the funds and 2025 to spend all the funds.

First Selectman Dan Rosenthal said the town would need to know if the other half of the money was raised before obligating any ARP money towards it.

“If we obligate the ARP funding and the other half of the money is not raised, we’ll be unable to spend the money,” said Rosenthal.

The next request was $75,000 towards increased storage by building a storage shed.

Ariniello said that the center has only eight closets, and many of them have designated uses, such as the multi-purpose room closets being used for tables and chairs, and the art room closet being used for art supplies.

“Designated storage has been identified as a key need since the building opened,” said Ariniello.

The biggest needs are for storage for pool supplies and maintenance storage. Pool supplies are currently stored off-site and brought to the center by other departments, such as Public Works.

Ariniello also said fire code violations need to be addressed, such as the storage of the snow blower and lawn mower.

“This will remove our dependance on the town for supplies,” said Ariniello.

The final request was for $75,000 for a generator.

Ariniello said this would assist with the longevity of general building equipment and overall pool mechanics maintenance, as well as offering the option to keep the center open during power outages and provide support to the community. The electrical, fuel hook-ups and wiring for a generator were pre-installed during the construction of the building.

Rosenthal said he will likely have other department heads present their requests for ARP funding at future workgroup meetings. He also noted that if any workgroup members have any thoughts about uses for ARP funding outside the current list of department head requests, they should contact him to put it on a future workgroup agenda.

“It doesn’t matter what I think, it’s what everyone else thinks,” said Rosenthal. “If folks have thoughts about other things we can do, they can certainly bring those to the table.”

Reporter Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.