A new community center rises up in New London

New London ― Less than five months after the first layer of foundational concrete was poured at the $40 million city community center site, walls have risen up from Fort Trumbull as work continues inside.

On Wednesday, open doorways led to cavernous spaces set to be transformed into a full-court gym, offices and programming rooms – the backbone of offerings slated for the one-story building “B” on the south end of the construction footprint.

The warehouse-sized gym, when complete, will include two full-sized courts whose floor will be striped to allow for basketball, pickleball and volleyball play. Bleachers will ring most of the perimeter and a folding divider will be added down the center.

A few feet north in building “A,” deck sections of an eight-lane pool awaited the installation of diving platforms and final plaster-and-tile work ahead of its 4- to 8-foot depths being filled with 200,000 gallons of water.

A second-floor viewing deck, which will feature a dance and banquet hall, was open to the sky not far from the rattle of a jackhammer. Andrew Anton, project superintendent for general contractor Downes Construction Co., said the major masonry work is compete with columns and trusses set to be installed this month.

“Then we have the roof work for the pool building, along with the finishing work,” he said.

After months of site preparation that began a year ago, Project Manager Kyle Lentini said the above-ground work has progressed as smoothly as could be expected for a 58,000-square-foot building project that also requires road construction and utility connections.

Felix Reyes, the city’s director of economic development and planning, said the project is within budget and still on time to celebrate a July 1, 2025 ribbon cutting.

He said requests for proposals seeking a facility operator will be advertised next month with a director expected to be chosen in the fall.

“We need that person to be in here months before the center opens to start familiarizing themselves with the layout, to begin planning programming and start building up memberships,” Reyes said.

He said the cost of operating the facility would be covered through those membership dues, sponsorships and donated dollars.

The project’s initial $30 million price tag, approved by the City Council in 2021, jumped by approximately $10 million as more detailed cost figures emerged, with the gap later bridged with a combination of state and federal funding. The city was also awarded a $1.2 million grant through the state’s Brownfield Remediation program for pre-construction site work.

Several aesthetic touches are already planned for the facility, including the installation of banners to celebrate New London sports icons who later went on to play professionally. Artwork and trophy cases will be added to hallways.

In addition to the cadre of hard-hatted workers, groups of students with an interest in the building trades have also walked the construction site, getting an up close view of an ongoing project.

“They were intrigued, and came in and asked a lot of questions,” Anton said. “We even showed them our storage trailer.”

j.penney@theday.com