MADISON

Improvements are on the way at the Town Campus gym, thanks to a $400,000 Small Town Economic Recovery Assistance Program (STEAP) grant received earlier this month.

According to a release from town officials, the town was awarded $401,600 in grant funds to make much-needed improvements to the Town Campus gym, including hazardous material remediation, demolition, replacement of the gym floor, and shower enhancements.

First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons said the grant is a critical funding source, as the gym floor, utilized across the entire spectrum of Madison residents and for numerous community programs, is in dire need of repair. The gym is a popular and much-used facility, according to town officials. Senior pickleball, basketball camps, athletic classes, after-school programs, and town meetings are routinely scheduled at the facility.

“The Town Campus Gym is an important facility that is used for a wide range of community activities, including acting as Madison’s current emergency storm shelter. Throughout the years, this gym has hosted a wide variety of youth, adult and senior recreational programming, summer camps, vaccine clinics, town meetings, and town employee events. This STEAP grant award will allow us to move forward more quickly with repairs to the floor to return it to a consistent, usable condition,” Lyons said

Lyons added that there were safety issues that made the project a priority. Floor buckling and replacement remediation issues made a temporary repair impractical, she said.

“We have wanted to replace the floor for a while. There was a bit of an urgent nature to this because there has been some bubbling of the floor, and there were some safety concerns about it. Originally, we thought that we could do a quick fix because it was limited to a small section, but unfortunately, when we tested the material, we found hazardous materials in the flooring because it was installed so many years ago. We were told that we couldn’t repair it and that we would have to rip up the whole thing and replace it,” Lyon said. “We were going to have to deal with this via an appropriation but decided we would try and get this grant, and it is just great that we were able to secure this award.”

According to Lyons, repairs will take several months to complete, but officials will make efforts to minimize the impact on residents and facility availability.

“The grant will take several months to get the paperwork submitted. Then we have to follow the procedures that the grant requires. We hope to have it out to bid in the beginning of next year and hopefully completed in early spring. We are trying to get this wrapped up because in early summer, the camps will be the space. We also really want to get this done quickly because it is our emergency storm shelter facility,” said Lyons. “The gym is utilized during any weather event, so there is a priority here in getting it done. We are going to try and make this as least invasive as possible in regard to the scheduling, but there might be a slight hiccup during the shoulder season in the spring. But we are very excited about the grant; it will really save taxpayers the bulk of the cost.”

Madison Beach and Recreation Director Austin Hall said he was grateful for the funding due to the immediacy of the safety issues of the floor and its heavy use by residents.

“A new gym floor is important for so many members of our community. Our Town Campus gym is used by every age group and for a large variety of athletic, social, and civic events. I am very thankful to all of those involved in making this a reality,” Hall said.

Lyons said the total current project estimate will be more than $500,000 for removal and replacement, with the shortfall being made up via the town’s fund balance.

“The town will be funding about $100,000 of this, with the bulk of it coming from the grant,” Lyons said. “We will have to talk about this with the boards, but most likely, it will be coming from the fund balance, so we can get this done as quickly as possible.”