It Began As 2018 Poll: $4M From State For Academy School Project

MADISON, CT — State Sen. Christine Cohen (D-Guilford) and state Rep. John-Michael Parker (D-Madison) announced the State Bond Commission is expected to approve $4 million for the conversion of the former Academy School into a new community center.

And $150,000 will go to American Legion Griswold Post 79 to renovate its meeting hall, lawmakers said.

Gov. Ned Lamont, who serves as chairman of the State Bond Commission, said the state funds "will help ensure that infrastructure for several valued resources in the town remain modernized and in a good state of repair."

Academy School Community Center

"The Academy building is an iconic structure in downtown Madison, adding to the town’s beauty and charm. I had family fortunate enough to attend school at Academy, but over the past many years, it has laid dormant. I am thrilled that the voices of Madison residents voted in favor of Academy’s conversion to a space that the entire community can visit, congregate and recreate," Cohen said.

She explained that though the referendum resulted in a "significant financial undertaking, I am so glad that we were able to secure about 25 percent of the project with state funding."

"This is an incredibly exciting development for Madison and will truly represent an epicenter of the community," she said.

Parker, who said he was a third-grader at Academy School in 1996, knows "how important this building—and what it symbolizes for our community—has been to the town of Madison."

"The journey of preserving this extraordinary historic resource and turning it into a community center has been a labor of love over many years by countless citizens, town leaders, and volunteer advocates," he said. "I'm so proud to see that work come to fruition."

The former Academy School, built in 1921, was closed by the Board of Education in 2004 and handed over to the town in 2011. The idea for a community center came from a public opinion poll completed in 2018. However, the building is not ADA compliant; it needs to be made fully handicapped accessible, and for asbestos and environmental hazards in the building to be removed. When competed, the new community center is expected to feature a large gymnasium with a stage, social lobby/lounge with a café, community spaces, and an auditorium/meeting room.

The town's Beach and Recreation and Youth and Family Services offices would be moved to the building, and additional parking would be added.

Madison First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons said "state funding will help us achieve that goal while also reducing the cost burden on local taxpayers."

"This historic building, which lies in the heart of our community, is a treasured town asset that has played an important role in our history, and will be transformational for our downtown after sitting vacant for many years," she said.

American Legion Griswold Post 79

The American Legion Griswold Post 79, which has been located at the corner of Bradley Road and Academy Street since 1936, launched a fundraiser last year to renovate the facility. The 130 Post members will expand the front porch, move the handicapped ramp, remove all the siding and window trim, and upgrade the interior.

Charlie Corso, commander of the American Legion Griswold Post 79, said he was "very grateful" to Cohen and Parker.

"The building was built in 1936, and it hasn’t had any renovations since 1952, when an addition was put on to serve veterans returning from World War Two. The interior of the building is going to need major surgery. We've been keeping our fingers crossed for more funding."

"The American Legion Post 79 building is an important resource not only for the heroes who have bravely served our country, but for our entire community," Parker said.

Lyons said she was grateful that Lamont "recognized the special value of these projects in our community and has chosen to make an historic investment in Madison.”