Community center to split cost of engineering study with school district

BRISTOL — Doug Williams agreed on behalf of the Bristol Recreation Advisory Council that the Tapply-Thompson Community Center will cover half of the cost of a civil engineering study to determine the feasibility of a land swap with the Newfound Area School District.

The council, a volunteer board overseeing the operations of the community center, hopes to trade the former Ford property, adjacent to Newfound Memorial Middle School, for school property that currently serves as a bus parking lot. The council also hopes to acquire the town-owned lot known as the Preble property, between the bus yard and Kelley Park, for a proposed 18,000-square-foot adjunct facility that would incorporate a full-sized basketball court, a multi-purpose room, a kitchen and office space.

The building project would be in addition to planned renovations to the existing community center, a former Methodist church the town acquired in 1946 when the Methodists and Congregationalists combined and built a new Federated Church. Originally known as the Bristol Community Center, it was renamed to honor the Rev. A.B. Thompson and Richard “Wink” Tapply, the two people who worked to create a recreational facility for the town.

Appearing before the Newfound Area School Board on Aug. 28, Williams revealed the community center received a $1 million grant for its renovation project, with the work to begin soon. Building the adjunct facility is years in the future, with an estimated cost between $4 million and $5 million. Williams said the land swap would provide the space they need, as well as a physical address that is important for grant applications.

The school board facilities committee had recommended on Aug. 14 that the board approve a $7,700 engineering study of the community center land to determine the suitability of moving the bus lot there, or other uses, such as reconfiguring the entrance to the middle school and improving school parking.

The $7,700 figure was based on an estimate; the district has not put the study out to bid.

Members pushed back on paying for a study that would benefit the community but offer little direct benefit to the school district. Their questions about the project and the possibly of the TTCC sharing the cost led to Williams’ appearance before the board on Aug. 28.

Responding directly to the concerns about how the swap would benefit the school district, Williams said the Ford property is 0.71 acre, while the bus lot is 0.5 acre. He also said the proposed recreational building would include two 1,000-square-foot storage facilities, one of which could be used by the school district. The district currently has a small storage building for the middle school.

“Of course, from my perspective, it’s a win-win situation,” Williams said.

School board member Joseph Mahoney of Bristol, who serves on the facilities committee, said whether the study is paid by the town-owned TTCC or by the school district, it still is taxpayer money.

“For the sake of approving things,” he said, “maybe if it looks like a collaborative sort of thing moving forward, maybe that’s a better way of looking at it.”

Facilities Manager Jason Torsey pointed out the $7,700 estimate included $2,860 for expenses such as a land survey. The TTCC already completed such a survey, so the actual cost could be much less. Mahoney nevertheless made a successful motion to approve splitting a cost as high as $7,700 with the community center.

Williams also answered questions about the Preble lot, saying the town actually owned it while the Prebles resided there. After razing the home, the town has allowed the Pasquaney Garden Club to use the property for community gardens, but Williams said the town is willing to transfer the property to the community center.

He also explained the TTCC razed the Ford home and mitigated asbestos and lead paint on the property, but has not cleared the lot, because if the town is to seek federal grants for that site, the community center would have to conduct an environmental impact study to make sure they would not be disturbing nesting birds or frogs. “They did not want us to cut any trees until we did that,” he said.

Torsey said that, because the school district would not be seeking any grants, an environmental impact study would not be needed.

The school board discussed whether First Student would park buses on the swapped lot or on another lot, but agreed that, regardless of what they did with buses, they would need the engineering study to know how the lot could be used.

Chair Melissa Suckling of Danbury pointed out the district already has drainage problems at the middle school, and the study could include addressing that issue.

She noted the study could be paid from the facilities maintenance trust fund, but going forward with the land swap and any improvements would require a warrant article at the March district meeting. She also noted any work likely would exceed the district the tax cap and therefore require approval from the voters.

New Hampton school board member Nathan Saler abstained from the vote on the study because of his association with the community center. Otherwise, it was a unanimous vote.