Embracing a “community concept,” the redesigned Community House will be a larger, brighter multi-use facility for recreation and senior citizen programming, as well as offering community gathering and socializing within its renovated and expanded spaces.

That’s the project vision Farmington architecture firm Quisenberry Arcari is sharing, with renderings and info sessions that began last week. The public sessions are being organized by First Selectman James B. Cosgrove, who said he was pleased with the general response from a well-attended first reveal to the public on Oct. 21.

“I think it was positively received, overall,” Cosgrove told The Sound. “I thought the architect did a great job, and he wants to hear from the public during this conceptual design phase.”

Initial public input on what to do about replacing the current Canoe Brook Senior Center began about a year ago. At that time, the town hired local architect Sandra Vlock of Arbonies King Vlock, Branford, as a consultant to help find the best approach for integrating a new senior center into town plans. In March 2015, the Board of Selectman (BOS) approved Vlock’s resulting “Branford Model” combination facility at the Community House.

In July, following competitive bidding among six final firms, the BOS approved the Public Building Commission’s recommendation to hire Quisenberry Arcari. The firm’s current experience creating new or renovated/enlarged senior centers include completed projects for the towns of Groton, Bridgewater, Columbia, Lebanon, Plainville, and Stonington.

Cosgrove said Quisenberry Arcari conceptual design was developed with “close collaboration” between the staffs of the Recreation Department and the Senior Center.

“We’re essentially taking two facilities and doing it as one project, but as we’re doing it, everybody involved recognized it was important for the departments to maintain their identities,” said Cosgrove.

“We’re very excited about the work we’ve done to date,” said Thomas P. Arcari, Jr., AIA., adding the concept being shared “wouldn’t have been possible without a lot of hard work between us, the town staff, and Dagmar Ridgway and her [senior center] staff and Alex Palluzzi and his [recreation] staff.”

Interviews of staff and facility patrons as well as other surveys, studies, and testing also helped determine assets and needs. The concept calls for locating recreation programming primarily on the lower level of the building, with senior and community gathering/socializing spaces on the main floor above.

A review of the current facility showed the 52-year old building has “really good bones and, when renovated, will create good overall value to the community,” said Arcari.

The price tag for the project has yet to be revealed. Projected costs and bonding strategies for a new senior center are budgeted into a 10-year municipal plan organized by Town Finance Manager Jim Finch and were most recently presented to the Board of Finance Oct. 26 (after press time). However, those numbers are only estimates to help frame future planning and not costs tied directly to this project, Cosgrove told The Sound.

On Oct. 21, Arcari presented renderings that show the “community concept” plan to double the size of the existing building. The extra space comes from two additions. One adds two floors to the north side (facing Prospect Street), while the other, at the parking lot entrance, creates a “tower” lobby entrance with second floor café. Additional exterior treatments show a covered main entrance and drop off drive on Church Street with a new exterior patio space.

On the southern corner, a second Church Street entrance will be added, leading past new parking spaces against the south side of building, with access around the corner to an increased rear parking lot (spaces added include those created by taking out the existing skate park). Overall, parking will increase from 87 spaces to 107, including 12 handicapped spaces. New exterior sidewalks connect pedestrians on all sides with all building entrances. Against the building and fringing parts of the parking area, outdoor grounds will include yard game areas, exterior classrooms, recreation sites, gardens, a patio, and playscapes.

The building’s rear tower entrance opens to a ground-floor lobby space with gym activity staging areas and windows looking into the gymnasium. The lobby leads to an elevator and stairs and will have a recreation department office interactive window on one side. Recreation department offices will remain on the ground floor in renovated existing space, as well as renovated classroom/media space, an arcade, an arts and crafts area, and ADA-accessible locker and bathroom facilities. The gymnasium would receive a new floor, painting, and lighting fixtures. The lower level addition adds a large, multifunction space that can be partitioned into two areas and two meeting rooms.

The upstairs entrance on Church Street includes what Arcari described as a “central core” of the building, including a lobby with a fireplace and community gathering spaces and open views to the windowed tower at back, which will include a planned Waverly Pub & Café.

“A pub and café are typical program elements in state of the art senior community centers,” said Arcari.

Off the café is the Waverly Game Room with pool tables, etc. The main floor’s renovated kitchen will become a new, full service kitchen and connect to the new addition. The new addition adds a large cafeteria/gathering room (Canoe Brook Café), two multipurpose rooms, and conference room spaces, all surrounding a centralized “socialization space,” said Arcari. Existing main floor space will be renovated to include senior programming offices, a library, an arts and crafts room, and a large, dedicated fitness room.

In addition to the many upgrades to the building, the goal of the community concept design is “not only making sure we have adequate programming space within the facility, but more importantly, more adequate circulation and communicating space,” said Arcari. “A community center [and] senior center is more than a place where you go to take part in an activity. It’s a place where you go to spend a portion of your day to socialize and to interact with other community members. “

On Oct. 27 (after press time) Arcari shared the plan during an afternoon program at Canoe Brook Senior Center. Presentations will also be made to the Recreation Commission (Wednesday, Nov. 4) and Elderly Services Commission (Thursday, Nov. 5).