New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Council rethinks building proposed for arts center
WEST HAVEN — A vacant former Masonic lodge was identified years ago as the spot for a downtown arts center that could provide studio space and a stage to artists, while bringing visitors to the city. Although the building was sold to the city in 2007, little has been done since the building was stripped to its studs several years ago.
When Mayor Nancy Rossi proposed the use of $3.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to supplement $1.5 million in bonding to remodel the city-owned building, it signaled to arts aficionados that the city was making progress on a project that had stalled.
On Wednesday, however, the City Council voted to seek bids on the building “to get some data to see what the market will bear.”
Councilman Ron Quagliani, D-At Large, proposed the idea. He said the move was about “gauging market interest.”
“Hopefully we can get that data back in the next four weeks and have another discussion regarding the arts center and allocating money to the arts community,” he said.
Last month, the chairman of the mayoral-appointed ARPA Committee advised the City Council against spending more money on the arts center project at the 304 Center St. location. Committee Chairman Ken Carney said rising construction costs combined with the amount of work required to get the building, built in 1900 according to public land records, up to code would be prohibitively costly. Several council members said Carney’s calculations and advice, along with the lack of a business plan for the location despite repeated requests, led them to believe the project as envisioned could not move forward.
However, when council members learned that ArtsWest CT President Elinor Slomba had prepared a business plan, a special meeting was called for Wednesday to allow for a presentation.
Slomba said an arts center has significant community support from multiple sectors, including health care officials who view the arts as “a mainstream intervention” to emotional damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Arts Council of Greater New
Haven and local artists who are seeking studio space outside of the city.
“We’re artist-rich but venue-poor.” she said. “There is a market need. There’s checks being written but not going into our local economy.”
Slomba said the center could sustain itself through rented studio space, raising about $12,000 per month on that alone. Her plan proposed developing the first floor of the three-story building to serve as an incubator for the eventual development of the full building. A ramp would be installed at the new front door which would lead into a welcome center that would promote the city’s business and cultural offerings. Inside would be six studio spaces and a stage with seating.
Slomba said the utility of a downtown arts center extends beyond promoting the arts, as it also would increase foot traffic downtown, bringing business to nearby restaurants and stores, in turn supporting the local economy.
On Tuesday, council members Mitchell Gallignano, D-4, and Colleen O’Connor, R-At Large, accepted an invitation to all council members from Slomba to tour the facility. Both said Wednesday they were impressed.
“This is a great, comprehensive plan,” Gallignano said, adding that it was something “tangible” that the council had been seeking.
“I could really visualize your dream,” O’Connor said.
Carney, however, said, “The building does not lend itself to this kind of activity. It was a wrong purpose from the beginning.”
Jack Reagan of UHY, the city’s ARPA financial management firm, reminded the council that all ARPA funds must be obligated to projects by the end of 2024 or else the funds must be refunded to the federal government. If the city receives unfavorable projections following months of design work on a construction project in 2025, the city would be unable to draw from the ARPA funding for more money.
Quagliani said he wished for the council to support the arts with ARPA funding, but the building is “an anchor” that would weigh the community down.
“I’d rather give you money and say, ‘Here you go, here’s the money. Develop a plan and submit it to the ARPA Committee and work it out,’” he said.
Slomba said a lot of the planning that has been done is “site-specific” including the $1.5
City Council Chairman Peter Massaro, D-6, bemoaned that the city’s ARPA funding hadn’t been spent on catching up with infrastructure concerns from the start so that critical needs could be addressed in an uncomplicated way. Quagliani said it “pains” him that the city already has paid $1.2 million on remediation efforts for a building and is discussing its future in 2023 when the city has owned it since 2007.
Although nine present members of the council voted unanimously to list the building for sale, Quagliani assured members of the audience that the city cannot sell its property without a process that includes a public hearing.
The council voted to approve several projects with ARPA funds, including several that were taken off the bonding project list to support a debt diet — including a new boiler for Carrigan School and several repairs to athletics fields and school playscapes.
Reagan said that, as of the conclusion of Wednesday’s meeting, the council had obligated or spent $24,797,733 of its $29 million ARPA allocation.