Enfield Town Council to Vote On Building Consolidation Plan

ENFIELD, CT — The Enfield Town Council will vote Tuesday night on a series of 11 resolutions pertaining to the proposed consolidation of a number of town-owned buildings, including demolition of the Angelo Lamagna Activity Center and the long-vacant Strand Theater building.

The proposal, presented by Town Manager Christopher Bromson at a recent council meeting, would involve shifting several departments into various town buildings, including the former Alcorn School, the former Fermi High School, the Enfield Express and the Enfield Senior Center.

Under terms of the proposal:

• The Department of Social Services, including Youth Services, would move into the former Alcorn School, with the Social Services building at 110 High St. to be sold;
• The Transportation office would move from 110 High St. to the Senior Center;
• Building & Grounds and the Recreation Department would move into the former Fermi building at 124 North Maple St., with the Building & Grounds location at 52 Prospect St. to be sold;
• Assessment and Revenue would move from Town Hall to the Enfield Express at 800 Enfield St.;
• A multi-media video conference center would be constructed in Town Hall;
• Renovation of the gymnasium at the former St. Adalbert School on Alden Ave. would be completed by January 2022;
• The old theater and recreation center building at 17-19 North Main St. would be demolished, and the land sold.

The Strand Theater was built in 1936, and was a hub of downtown activity until the mid-1960s. After a brief closure, it re-opened as the Enfield Cinema in late 1966, but the opening of a new theater adjacent to the Enfield Suburban Mall, coupled with the ill-fated urban renewal project in Thompsonville in the mid- to late-1970s had the theater owners resorting to showing X-rated, adults-only films, a practice which continued until shutting down entirely in the late 1980s

During urban renewal, a new neighborhood activity center was built, named after longtime Enfield sportsman Angelo Lamagna. The multitude of programs offered by the town, including Youth Services and the Recreation Department, have long since outgrown the facility, which has always suffered from extremely limited parking.

Bromson said the overall consolidation plan would result in considerable savings, and expressed confidence all renovations could be completed within a year. The total cost of the 11 items on the council's agenda is $3,028,339.

"This has been a global plan we've embarked on over the last couple of years," Bromson said upon presenting the proposal to the council. The presentation may be viewed here.

Councilor Carl Sferrazza said, "I don't think I've ever seen a presentation as thought-out as this one was. In the beginning, I had a little heart palpitation because we were talking about closing the Lamagna Center and Thompsonville needs these things. The Strand Theater should have been gone a long time ago and I loved that place, but the bottom line is all these things are going to be done quickly, saving the town money and making it better for everybody."

Tuesday's meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Town Hall. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, seating is limited. The meeting will also be broadcast live on E-TV. You may find the agenda here.

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