East Windsor Voters Overwhelmingly Approve Scout Hall Conversion

EAST WINDSOR, CT — More than 70 percent of the East Windsor residents who voted at a referendum concerning conversion of the Scout Hall Youth Center were in favor of the consolidation of the senior center and some town offices into the Abbe Road facility.

Official vote totals from the town clerk's office showed 1,240 residents voted in favor of the project, while 516 were against.

The conversion is expected to cost around $4.7 million, with $1.2 million already earmarked in the town's capital improvement budget. In late January, the town was awarded up to $2.75 million in federal funds to create a "multigenerational community center," and the site was visited by Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy.

In November, a similar referendum which would have involved borrowing the remainder of the funding for the project was defeated by a slim 23-vote margin.

Plans call for a sizable addition to the building, nearly doubling the existing 6,991 square feet at the hall, constructed in 2000.

The senior center is currently above the Broad Brook Fire Department at 125 Main Street. Access to the building is difficult, with a number of stairs to be navigated. A handicap-accessible ramp is also constructed awkwardly.

A number of town offices currently share space in the Town Hall Annex at 25 School Street in Warehouse Point. Home to the police department, animal control, ambulance service and emergency management office, the site also houses the Parks and Recreation department, the registrar of voters and social services.