They help people feel attached to where they live, solve community problems, and restore trust in institutions.īut, in Stamford, supporters of the Glenbrook Community Center, which closed during the pandemic, say they are having no luck convincing Mayor Caroline Simmons to reopen it using a grant from the state Community Investment Fund, which the legislature launched last year to dole out $875 million to struggling communities through 2027. They say such places offer human connection in a virtual world support social cohesion in a time of political dissension and counteract loneliness. In the three years since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, government leaders, urban planners and others nationwide have said that community-centered places are antidotes to city problems. The dedication of significant resources to community centers is not surprising. The City of New London will put its $7.2 million state grant, plus $2 million in federal funding, toward a $40 million community and recreation center, which city officials said “will change the lives of many for generations to come.” The city will contribute $30 million to the project, which will include a swimming pool, gym, classrooms, lounge, indoor track, and other amenities, and serve as headquarters for the recreation department and youth affairs. The town and federal government will also fund the project, which will cost a total of $59 million. ![]() The Town of Hamden got $5.4 million from the state to help turn a long-vacant middle school into a “community campus.” The campus will house child care and senior services, social services, a food pantry, an arts and cultural center, a library, and a health and wellness center. The money will help restore the building inside and out, and expand programs that will give it “a new lease on its long life as a bulwark of support” in that working-class neighborhood, according to the grant award. ![]() ![]() The Town of Stratford, for example, got $2.4 million that it will spend on renovating the South End Community Center, a neighborhood mainstay that has operated in an old factory building for generations. STAMFORD – In the last year, dozens of Connecticut towns have received millions of dollars in state grants, and many are using the money to build community centers.
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