Around Town
Expanded Teen Offerings, New Board Possible for Restructured Outback
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Though a proposed lease termination agreement from the Outback Teen Center now is in hand, town officials say they’re investigating whether the downtown facility could continue to serve local youth in important ways. First Selectman Rob Mallozzi said Town Council Chairman Bill Walbert and Outback’s founding president Bob Albus are leading an effort to “advance ways to keep a reconstituted teen offering from that building and from a new Board of Directors that could be in place in the next few months.”
One local organization that already is serving much of New Canaan’s youth—the YMCA—could possibly use the building in the future, a move that could offset costs that after July 31 would otherwise fall to the town, he said. Asked about the YMCA’s interest in operating any programs out of the Outback, the Y’s vice president of financial development, marketing, and strategic initiatives, Kristina Barrett, said: “The Outback Board and town have approached the Y to see if we are interested in using the facility for a variety of Y programming. If Outback programming comes to an end, we are open to exploring this possibility, however, nothing has been finalized.”
Outback’s programming is set to come to an end officially after July 31, as per a letter that Mallozzi received last Friday from the teen center’s Board of Directors President Sangeeta Appel. “The Board of Directors of New Canaan Teen Center, Inc., voted to vacate and turn over possession of the teen center building to the Town of New Canaan effective as of 11:59 p.m. on July 31, 2015,” the letter says. “While the Board regrets the necessity for this action, it had no other viable option given the current lack of funds and absence of sufficient recurring annual financial support from the Town and the community, with which to operate the building.