On the eve of summer, the Ad-Hoc Academy School Community Center Design Committee is inviting the public to one of two public information sessions on Wednesday, June 12. The goal of each session is to update the public on the work of the committee to date and the work still to come.

The Ad-Hoc Academy School Community Center Design Committee is charged with working in consultation with project management firm Colliers International to create a design proposal for a community center, develop a cost estimate, hold public input sessions, and recommend next steps for the design proposal. The committee told the Board of Selectmen (BOS) on April 8 that a community center is a feasible option for the Academy building at a cost of $14 million.

The report made to the BOS at the time answered some but not all of the questions regarding the feasibility and costs of transforming Academy into a community center. Later in April, the BOS decided the committee should be brought back to continue to explore alternative or creative funding options for the building. At that time, The committee charge was expanded slightly to include more detailed language around costs that need to be explored, specifically operating costs for a community center and potential alternative building construction options like grants and tax credits.

Since the BOS re-authorized the committee, members have been working on fleshing out some of the details in the new charge, but Committee Chair Bill Stableford said the point of this public information session is to formally share the details final report given to the BOS on April 8 with the greater public.

“At the upcoming public information sessions, committee members, Colliers International, and QA+M Architects will present their design concept for a community center, including a breakdown of cost estimates for both construction and operational costs,” he said. “Architect Tom Arcari will present his architectural renderings of the building exterior, including a plan for accessibility, and interior use of space for flexible, multi-purpose programming.”

Stableford said the point of the sessions is to review the concepts and designs for the potential transformation of Academy into a community center.

“By drawing comparisons with other community centers, the committee will update the public on its estimates for projected operational costs, staffing, utilities, and maintenance,” he said. “The committee is also actively exploring potential sources for offsets of construction and operational costs…Ample opportunities will be available for members of the public to ask questions of the committee and the professional consultants.”

The committee is due to update the BOS on its progress by July 22.

The Ad-Hoc Academy School Community Center Design Committee will hold dual public information sessions on Wednesday, June 12 (3 p.m. at the Madison Senior Center and 7 p.m. at Polson Middle School). The committee will present the findings from its final report to the BOS. The final report is available at www.madisonct.org.

How We Got Here

The Academy School building has been vacant for more than a decade and multiple administrations have struggled to find a popular solution for the building and its lot.

The parcel is 5.1 acres in the historic district and in the R-2 Residential Zone, which allows for single-family residential, municipal, educational, recreational, and religious uses. The building itself is 53,000 square feet with three floors, 16 classrooms, a gym, theater, kitchen, cafeteria, and music rooms. The building is also on the National Register of Historic places, which means there is a risk of litigation if the building is demolished.

Over the past decade, the town has formed numerous committees to try to determine what to make of the building. In 2018, plans to make Academy purely residential were quickly rebuked by the public. A committee was then formed to gauge feasibility and public interest in alternative options. By way of polling, the community showed strong support for a community center in the building. The BOS then formed a new design committee, the Ad-Hoc Academy School Community Center Design Committee, to flesh out design and cost options for a community center model.

The committee met with the Beach & Recreation Department to discuss having the department transfer offices to Academy and assume responsibility for the building if it were to become a community center. In addition, the Economic Development Commission, the town planner, the schools, Madison Youth & Family Services, the Arts Barn, Madison Senior Services, the Madison Art Society, the Madison Chamber of Commerce, and the Scranton Library have all approached the committee to discuss various space needs that could be solved with an Academy community center. Stableford previously said the work showed a community center to be a viable option.

“Our committee unanimously supports that the board adopts and supports the design...and budget proposal presented here,” he said.

Stableford said the committee reached several conclusions beyond the community center feasibility; the committee’s work showed that there’s a large, unmet need for public space in Madison and that a community center can be built in Academy within the $14 million budget initially pitched under a prior committee last year.