Town Purchase of West Hartford's St. Brigid School Official

WEST HARTFORD, CT — On Wednesday, state and local officials made the Town of West Hartford's purchase of the former St. Brigid School official.

The 8.5-acre property is located at 100 Mayflower Street.

The ceremony took place at 1 p.m.

The guest list for the ceremony included:

• Gov. Ned Lamont
• Members of the West Hartford Legislative Delegation including state Sen. Derek Slap (D – West Hartford, Farmington, Burlington, Bloomfield), state Reps. Kate Farrar (D – West Hartford), Tammy Exum (D – West Hartford, Avon, Farmington), and Jillian Gilchrest (D – West Hartford)
• West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor
• Margaret Hann, executive director of the Bridge Family Center
• Rebecca Sears, supervisor at the West Hartford Senior Center
• Pramod Pradhan, community outreach librarian at the Faxon Branch Library

The leaders gathered at the at the site of the former St. Brigid School, 100 Mayflower St., to announce the town recently finalized the purchase of the 8.5-acre site through bonding and other sources.

The town has plans to convert the site into the new Elmwood Community/Cultural Center.

The Elmwood Community Center is currently located at 1106 New Britain Ave. The building was built in 1920 and "no longer meets the town's programming and space needs," officials said. The new location on Mayflower Street will enable the town to expand the services it offers and allow room for future growth, officials said.

Municipal leaders also hope to eventually house the Faxon Branch Library in the new facility.

Here's what they has to say:

Lamont: "West Hartford continues to grow and thrive, and the Elmwood Community Center is an important component of ensuring that the town’s residents have a place for community engagement and civic participation. I am glad that the state is able to partner with the town on the acquisition and development of a new location for the community center so that it can continue meeting the needs of the people of West Hartford well into the future."

Farrar: "The current Elmwood Community Center is a cherished space in our community, but the building's age and upkeep does not meet today's diverse needs. The town's recent purchase of the former St. Brigid School site will pave a path forward to establish a new community center that will improve West Hartford services in a state-of-the-art facility. I am proud to see this once-in-a-generation opportunity is closer to becoming a reality for our Elmwood neighborhood."

Slap: "I’m so pleased that the entire West Hartford legislative delegation worked together and with Mayor Cantor and town leadership to make this happen,” said Sen. Slap. “This project will improve West Hartford’s ability to deliver top- notch services to seniors, youth and civic groups while also allowing for strategic development and grand list growth at the former Elmwood Senior Center."

Cantor: "We sincerely appreciate the financial support from the state for this extraordinary opportunity for the town to vision and build a new space to serve our diverse and vibrant community. We want to either repurpose or build a space that serves our youth, seniors, families and celebrates our whole community not just for today but for the generations to come. We are committed to making this new Community Center a model of cost-effective, sustainable, and green building design."

Hann "The Bridge’s partnership with the Town of West Hartford spans decades-since 1969 when the Bridge was founded in fact. We are very excited about the new Elmwood Community and Cultural Center. Young people need us now more than ever – I believe the past 18 months has taught us that without exception. This exciting initiative could not have come at a better time. On behalf of all of us at the Bridge and the young people we serve. Thank you and we cannot wait to get started"

Sears: "We are very excited about the prospect of a new community center on this site to anchor this neighborhood and to embrace the wider community, including a vibrant senior center. This community center will be a place that welcomes and supports many facets of our Town while serving multiple generations.

Pradhan: "This Community Center project will be a great asset to the Elmwood Community In many ways - as a community hub bringing our diverse population together for socialization and learning, as a place where all groups can meet together, and as a safe and vibrant building welcoming all."

West Hartford has budgeted $6 million for the project in its Capital Improvement Program over the next two fiscal years. The state of Connecticut will reimburse the town at a rate of 75 percent of the project cost.

The town is committing $810,000 for the project. Of that amount, the town contributed $500,000 for the acquisition stage. In July, the Connecticut State Bond Commission approved $2.5 million to help the town acquire the property as well as for completing a functional program development, feasibility study, and pre-construction services.

With the purchase of the parcel complete, the town will conduct community outreach efforts to hear from residents about the programs they would like to see at the new facility. Redevelopment efforts, including partial demolition of the former St. Brigid School building, architectural design, renovation, and other related work will also begin.