Governor Ned Lamont visited Newtown Community Center for a special tour of the facility on Wednesday, August 19.

The building has recently been the focus of several improvement projects with state support, including the expansion of childcare services and the creation of a public outdoor water playground for children.

The tour served as a way for Lamont to see the developments in person, in addition to meeting dozens of children in Newtown Community Center's summer camp that day.

There to guide him through the facility was Newtown Community Center Director Matt Ariniello. Several local officials also attended the tour, including First Selectman Bruce Walczak, State Senator Tony Hwang, and State Representative Marty Foncello.

Just inside the main entrance of the Simpson Street building a hand drawn sign read "Welcome Governor Lamont," written by children in facility's summer camp. The text was filled in with red lines and blue stars, with illustrations of a sun wearing sunglasses and a slice of pizza next to it.

Ariniello guided Lamont around the building, visiting the pool, the arts and crafts rooms, and the multi-purpose rooms, in addition to the exterior of the building. Many of the locations had children from center's summer camp playing games or working on creative activities.

Lamont visited the camp's second graders as they played gaga ball, a fast-paced variant of dodgeball that has become increasingly popular with children. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, the governor stepped inside the inflatable ball pit and played with everyone.

Another room had campers designing their own superhero shields. Lamont got to stop by and take a close look at the children's hard work.

The tour was somewhat impromptu, according to Ariniello. He told The Newtown Bee on August 19 that he received a call from the governor's office the previous day, in which he was informed the governor was going to be in the area and wanted to stop by.

"We were really excited to host the governor today, showcase our facility, our programs," Ariniello said.

For his part, Lamont said he was happy to visit Newtown again and talk with local residents.

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.