A Legislative Council public hearing on the formation of a permanent Newtown Community Center Commission will be conducted at 7 pm on Wednesday, July 7, in the council chambers of the Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street. The hearing will give residents a chance to give their thoughts on the proposed Community Center Commission ordinance.

The ordinance will replace the Legislative Council’s Community Center Committee, which was charged with planning the construction and role of the community center. The new commission, if codified, will move into more of a “supervision and support” role, according to Ordinance Committee Chair Ryan Knapp.

The community center, according to its mission statement, “is a multi-generational hub that enhances our community by promoting social interaction, health and wellness, creative opportunities and personal growth.” The facility itself, as well as a multi-year allocation to underwrite operational costs, exists in part because of a generous gift from GE following the 12/14 tragedy.

“The ordinance formalizes the committee and puts structure to the role and authority of the commission,” said Knapp.

According to Community Center Committee Chair Kinga Walsh, the change to a full commission is required if the town is to follow the town charter.

According to the ordinance, the seven-person Newtown Community Center Commission will oversee the center’s operations, as well as “advise and support the center’s director on areas related to membership, programming, rentals, capital improvement, fundraising, marketing and strategic planning.” It will also oversee and approve annual budgets, fee changes, and “other financial operations.”

While line item authority is the purview of Community Center Director Matt Ariniello along with the commission, the permanent panel will need to approve, via majority vote, any undesignated or unanticipated costs or expenses, including capital expenses over $50,000.

The entire committee was involved in coming up with the ordinance, Walsh said.

“We took into account how the process initially worked in 2013, how it works now, and how we realized things function,” Walsh said. “We tried to make things as simple and idiot-proof as possible for future commission members who have not been involved since the beginning.”

Staff hiring for the center will not be the commission’s responsibility. That is the purview of the first selectman based on a recommendations from the community center director. All staff at the center will be Town of Newtown employees. The director of the community center will still report to the first selectman.

Ariniello said that the center is in the process of hiring a program coordinator following the recent retirement of the original program coordinator.

A Long Journey

It has been a long journey for the formation of the commission, according to Knapp, as the pandemic forced meetings online and drew out the planning process. Work on converting the committee, which was under the auspices of the Legislative Council, to a commission began in 2019.

The ordinance committee chairman said much time was spent clarifying the commission’s intended role and dealing with future hypotheticals.

“We wanted to be clear in our objectives now, rather than when there’s an imminent crisis,” said Knapp. “I think we ended up in a good place, and hopefully will avoid future headaches.”

Ariniello said that he was very appreciative of the support of the committee and that he looks forward to working with the future commission.

“The committee has worked very well together and been very supportive of our initiatives,” Ariniello said. “Our current chair [Walsh] has been dedicated to the success of the building and supportive of the intent of the gift [from GE].”

He said the creation of a strategic plan is planned for the upcoming year to ensure the community center remains self-sustaining. He also is looking forward to working with not only the Community Center Commission, but also the Planning & Zoning Commission.

That collaboration will involve the likely installation of sports fields on land adjacent to the center, as well as building a patio area at the back of the building. The pandemic has underscored the need to have more space for outdoor activities, Ariniello said.

Following 12/14, GE and its 150 employees living in Newtown asked local officials what they could do to help the town. Knapp said the community center was “always on the town’s radar” as a possible project, but it became a reality thanks to GE’s donation.

The global corporation, then headquartered in Fairfield, donated $10 million for construction of the center, with an additional $5 million to be delivered in $1 million annual allocations for five years to cover operations and programming. Officials and volunteers involved early on fully expected those operating costs to be far less than $1 million annually; and with accrued interest adding to the bottom line, that funding is hoped to underwrite as much as ten to 15 years of operations.

The green light to begin development came as voters overwhelmingly approved of building the Newtown Community Center at a special referendum in April 2016. The proposed permanent commission will make sure that the intents of the donor are protected, but will not create a separate entity from the town similar to the Library’s Board of Trustees or the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers.

Self-Sustaining Goal

The town’s goal for the community center is that it remain self-sustaining and not require town funds to operate. That will be primarily accomplished through membership fees.

The commission will help formulate a game plan in the event that goal does not happen. Funds available to the Community Center Commission from donations, dues, fees, charges, and other revenue sources are placed in the Community Center Special Revenue Fund, to be administered and disbursed by the town’s finance director.

“We want it to keep going without being a burden on the taxpayers,” Knapp said, adding that Ariniello was “crushing it” bringing in new memberships to the center before COVID “threw him a curveball.”

Since pandemic restrictions started being lifted, “Membership has exceeded expectations,” said Knapp.

Ariniello said that although the center was closed for four months, causing a loss of revenue of roughly $300,000, membership is currently up to 4,500 residents.

“The last year has posed challenges to the operation of the center,” Ariniello said. “However, now all programs are back in full swing. We have certainly exceeded our expectations, even with COVID.”

As of June 30, the Department of Public Health has released all indoor pool restrictions, and on July 12, Ariniello said that guest passes and day passes will once again be available.

First Selectman Daniel Rosenthal thanked the committee and the Legislative Council for their work and said that he felt they “landed in the right spot,” with a “balance of authority and autonomy.”

Walsh said that, assuming the public has no objections to the commission that would require the ordinance to be rewritten, the document would go to the Legislative Council for review and would be finalized by the end of summer. Commission members could be named possibly in September. She expects that the selectmen will meet with committee members and see who may wish to continue to serve on the commission.

Walsh said she has been on the committee since 2015 and would be “happy” to continue to serve.

“Whatever Dan and Matt need is fine by me,” Walsh said. “I’ll continue to serve as long as they need me.”

The initial members of the commission will be appointed to the following terms: Two members with terms expiring December 21 of this year, two members with terms expiring on December 31, 2022, two members to serve until December 31, 2023, and one member to serve until December 31, 2024. After those initial terms, future terms of each member will span four years. Any vacancies will be filled by the Board of Selectmen.

Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.