Newtown Youth Academy Breaks Ground

By Kendra Bobowick

Gripping her pink plastic shovel, 19-month-old Clara D’Amico watched a growing crowd gather around piles of crushed stone and debris on the Fairfield Hills campus January 26. Her fingers wiggling beneath soft cotton mittens, Clara looked toward her grandfather Peter D’Amico as he spoke during a special groundbreaking ceremony for the Newtown Youth Academy (NYA). The crumbled remains of Bridgewater House will make way for the 86,000-square-foot building, which will be the first new facility to occupy the former state hospital campus.

Mr D’Amico glanced toward architect Phil Clark’s color rendering of the soon-to-be youth academy, thanking his family members foremost, and the many individuals — those providing professional services down to small details — who helped Mr D’Amico achieve this personal dream of opening an athletic facility for youth in Newtown. The academy will be an indoor sports complex with basketball courts, volleyball and tennis courts with a track, and indoor turf field along with a main lobby, food court, store, recreation rooms, locker rooms, and fitness center. Mr D’Amico has privately funded the project.

“[Residents] can play sports all year long without concerns of weather, and can walk in a comfortable climate all year long,” he said. As the noon sunshine rippled across the freshly painted shovel blades waiting to break ground, Mr D’Amico continued, “The [NYA] is a nonprofit organization dedicating to providing a well-managed complex at minimal costs.”

Others took a moment to speak as the gathered residents kept their coats pulled tightly closed. With weather cold enough for knit hats and gloves, a crowd of officials and supporters tucked their hands into coat pockets Saturday afternoon and waited for the Newtown Youth Academy groundbreaking ceremony to begin.

With tufts of steam clinging to his words, Mr D’Amico’s business affiliate Keith Miller said, “The academy is dedicated to the health and well-being of residents — especially children…”

Father Robert Weiss (Father Bob) of St Rose of Lima Church noted, “God made our bodies fit for work, exercise is important…” Blessing the NYA’s future, Father Bob said, “Let it be a place to gather.”

First Selectman Joseph Borst also shared his thoughts. “This is a happy day for the town of Newtown, this dream of years coming to fruition that will benefit the town.” Broadening his thoughts to the entire Fairfield Hills campus, he said, “This is the first step in a program to provide recreation facilities to Newtown.”

Mr D’Amico also recognizes the NYA’s significance to Fairfield Hills — a network of vacant buildings at the heart of a townwide debate about their reuse or development. Surrounding the old brick façades are sprawling fields frequently filled with sports leagues, hikers, and others out for a stretch. Although the Fairfield Hills Authority’s longtime effort to revitalize the campus and bring renewed economic life to its streets had met debates against of the plan, Mr D’Amico believes his facility will be a positive move. He said, “The complex is exciting for many reasons. It’s significant for the redevelopment of Fairfield Hills.”

With a last few words before Mr D’Amico and his wife, sons, grandchildren, and handful of town officials reached for shovels, Mr D’Amico offered details about the building that will soon open to residents from young children to seniors.

“The building will be constructed to last for a long time,” he said. And, construction methods will be environmentally friendly, he explained. As the group gathered around a freshly turned area of soil, the men, women, and grandchildren rested the tips of their shovels into the ground, put a foot on top of the spade, and pressed down.