A Google maps image showing the current community center on Pine Street.
SEYMOUR — About 65 percent of town residents responding to a survey said they want a new community center in town, according to statements made during a public meeting last month.
But a major question for the public — how much is this going to cost?
“They certainly want to see more of the plan and get an idea of the finances,” said Kurt Miller, the former First Selectman who is now chairing the town’s community center building committee.
The 10-person committee meets once a month. They are exploring how much a new community center would cost, how it would be paid for, where it would be built, along with what types of amenities and programming would be offered.
Right now definite answers to those questions are still up in the air, but the committee may receive some ballpark cost estimates at a meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. June 10.
Possible options include acquiring (either through purchase or lease) land near the Seymour Stop & Shop; or refurbishing and expanding upon the current, 100-something year old, three-story, 40,000 square-foot community center on Pine Street.
Tri-Town Plaza has also been discussed, but Miller indicated negotiations with the landowner haven’t been fruitful.
At a meeting May 6, Mike Marcinek, a member of AEPM International, a limited liability corporation in Ansonia who lives in Seymour and is volunteering on the committee, said gutting, refurbishing and expanding the current building by some 10,000 to 12,000 square feet would probably be less expensive than constructing a new building.
A rough cost comparison could be discussed at next Thursday’s meeting.
At last month’s meeting, Miller reviewed results from a survey that was sent to residents through email, snail mail and social media.
In all, 4,476 surveys were sent, with 1,167 responses (there are about 6,000 households in Seymour, officials said).
About 65 percent supported the idea of a community center, with 15 percent opposed. About 19 percent said they were unsure. About 18 respondents skipped the question.
The mailed surveys specifically targeted residents over the age of 60, as a senior center is planned to be a part of the new community center, should the plans move forward.
Respondents said a new community center should include an indoor pool, a fitness center, exercise classes and basketball/pickleball courts.
But in the comments on the survey, residents were interested in costs, something committee member William Sawicki pointed out. Sawicki is also on the town’s board of finance.
Sawicki suggested the town start making inquiries about any grants that might be able to be used to defray costs for a community center, including the state bonding commission and federal legislators.
Once they have more concrete details, the committee is planning to hold public info meetings on their plans, possibly in the fall.
“We’re in no rush to move this forward,” Miller said. “I think the more information we put out to the residents, the more thought we put into this, the better it will go.”
Watch the most recent committee meeting below:
