SEYMOUR — Plans for a new community center have been put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Seymour First Selectman Kurt Miller.
“We’re in a holding pattern right now until we see what happens, or what happens going forward, I should say. And then we’ll make a determination.”
Miller made his comments during an appearance on ‘Navel Gazing: The Valley Indy Podcast.’ The complete interview is posted above and below.
The community center discussion starts about 30 minutes in.
Background
The town has a community center at 20 Pine St. The building is old, out of programming space, and always in need of repairs, Miller said.
Upon taking office after winning a fifth term in November 2019, Miller said finding a location and funding for a new, state-of-the art facility would be a top priority.
In November voters said no to a question asking if they would support borrowing up to $15 million for a new community center. Miller characterized that vote as a barometer reading, and said the town was working on a number of scenarios for a new community center somewhere in town, including public-private partnerships.
The town formed a committee to explore costs, location, and what a new community center would entail.
Pandemic Hits
But COVID-19, which reached Connecticut in early March, could change what public spaces look like and how they are designed.
Last month The New Yorker published a story exploring how architecture might change because of COVID-19 and the need for social distancing.
Miller said there’s no point planning a new building in town while the pandemic is still very much active in the U.S.
“Until we have an understanding of how we’re going to come out of this pandemic, when we’re going to come out of this pandemic, what the ‘new normal’ is going to be, it is very hard for us to determine the proper path forward,” Miller said.
Miller said town officials had been thinking of a building that would cost between $12 million and $15 million.
“We had talked about indoor turf fields and multiple basketball courts, an indoor track, fitness center, swimming pools, playgrounds, programming space, an all-inclusive building that on any day might have a couple of hundred to 1,000 people,” Miller said. “I don’t know if that’s a realistic reality going forward — until we see how we come out of this. We don’t want to build something that is designed to hold all these people and come to find out that we can’t have more than 150 people at any one time. Then it’s a waste of money.”
The answer could be to explore a smaller project. Or new public safety regulations could be created that drive-up costs. Too much is unknown at this point, Miller said.
“We absolutely need a new community center. There is no question about that. But until we have an understanding, we can’t put any plans in place,” Miller said.
The community center is one of several hyperlocal topics addressed in this week’s ‘Navel Gazing’ podcast.
Miller also talks about the town’s finances in the COVID-19 era, and takes a few swipes at the leadership of the town’s police commission.
The First Selectman also says that town government plans to continue using Zoom as a way to encourage more participation in town government.
Press play!
