An view of the 5-acre site (shaded gray) next to the Newtown Youth Academy on the town-owned Fairfield Hills campus, where a new community center had been proposed.
NEWTOWN – First Selectman Pat Llodra wants to call off the April 28 public vote to build a community center and start the discussion over about how to use a $15 million gift from General Electric.
“I am going to recommend to the Board of Selectmen that we take a step back and reconsider the process and engage the community more fully,” Llodra said Tuesday.
Llodra’s comments come one week after a public meeting where critics questioned the design of a 35,000-square-foot community center proposed on a 5-acre site on the Fairfield Hills Campus. Some of the critics said it was more of a senior center than a gathering place for all ages.
The plans had been drawn up with the help of an advisory committee in response to a $15 million gift GE gave to the town following the Sandy Hook school shootings. The idea was to build a community center with $10 million and use the remaining $5 million to fund operations.
After last week’s information hearing, Llodra said it was clear that there needed to be more discussion about the plans before the public vote. Three additional meetings were then scheduled.
On Tuesday those meeting were canceled.
“We are not abandoning hope that we will have a community center that meets the needs of the community and honors the intentions of the GE gift,” Llodra said.
Llodra said she expects the Board of Selectmen to come up with a plan to design a new community center that has widespread appeal.