Community center plan moves forward

PITTSFIELD – By the end of its fourth meeting Thursday night, the resurrected community center committee had developed four research teams, team captains and identified a possible location.

Although the idea of a community center was thoroughly investigated after the 1998 comprehensive planning process, the project died after the town dropped its economic director’s position and that person, Sylvia Hudson, no longer filled the role as liaison with the committee. Unfortunately, all records of the project also disappeared and when Town Manager Kathryn Ruth was hired a year ago, the new committee, known as the Tri-Community Action Team, or Tri-CAT, was forced to start from scratch.

“But look at the progress we’ve made,” Ruth said Thursday. Although some volunteers were concerned that startup was slow, Ruth reassured them that the organizational building blocks being created were necessary to provide a good foundation for the rest of the project.

Four teams were established: funding, site, building and process, and captains were established for each team. Those groups were each charged with meeting within the next month, researching their individual area and bringing new information back to the Tri-CAT.

The membership in Tri-CAT is nearly three dozen and those at Thursday’s meeting were encouraged to recruit active people from Detroit and Burnham, who have not been represented at recent meetings. The community center is planned to serve all three SAD 53 communities.

A packet of information about the project’s background and progress will be provided to each team.

Town Councilor Jack Wright, standing in for veteran committee member Paul Bertrand, said that San Antonio Shoe had offered to donate a parcel of land at its property off Hartland Avenue for a potential building site. Wright said the company has plans to create a community park on its land, which borders the Sebasticook River, and felt the spot also could accommodate a center and adequate parking.

Wright said that Bertrand found that Sessa Menendez is asking $70,000 for the property where the Pittsfield Bowling Center was located before it burned down, and that the Friend property at the main entrance to Manson Park is still for sale. No price was quoted for the Friend property.

The next meeting of the Tri-CAT will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 8, at the council chambers of the municipal building in Pittsfield. Volunteers from any SAD 53 community are encouraged to attend.

Ruth added “There has been enthusiasm each week. The people are out there and ready to volunteer but the hardest part is the organization in the beginning.”