Government

‘Not the Most Adaptable’: Question of Future Use Surrounds Former Outback Teen Center Building, Now Town-Owned

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First Selectman Rob Mallozzi stood behind the long kitchen counter at one end of the cavernous upper floor of the former New Canaan Outback Teen Center on Friday afternoon, hours after the 15-year-old structure had reverted to the town’s ownership following failed operation by a nonprofit organization. One stool at the counter appeared to have been broken and a pizza oven removed from the food prep area at Outback, once envisioned as an alcohol- and substance-free hub of local teen activity. “On my walk through today, it hits me again that this is a very unique space—one that is probably not the most adaptable to different and various uses, and it gives me even more pause about next steps,” Mallozzi said. Just what to do about the now-town-owned, rather oddly configured and centrally located structure, built 15 years ago—several years prior to the economic downturn, a headier era of corporate giving and donor dollars—is a major question facing New Canaan. In the short term, a dumpster is in order, according to the first selectman: A broken bench, collapsed ping-pong table, worn sofas and disused files lay about the split-level floors, while other fixtures—such as for lighting, movies and sound—appear to be in good shape.

Government

First Selectman Calls for Building Assessment of ‘The Hub’; Failed Organization Went Years without IRS Filings

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New Canaan’s highest elected official is seeking a full assessment of the former Outback Teen Center building downtown—a necessary first step, he said, in order to figure out just what to do with the cavernous structure after the town inherits it this summer. The condition of its HVAC system, status of elevator inspection reports and any needs that would trigger expensive work to ADA compliance remain open questions, First Selectman Rob Mallozzi said. “The town of New Canaan has had so little to do with that building, that before we have concrete next steps, we need a general assessment,” he told NewCanaanite.com. Mallozzi said he has tapped the Department of Public Works’ building superintendent to look at the structure and expects an analysis in two to three weeks. “That will begin a conversation of, ‘OK, we have a building here and we need $50,000 or $300,000 worth of work’ and ‘What is the outcome if we invest that time and energy?’ ” Mallozzi said.

Government

‘The Hub’ In Talks With Greenwich Hospital About Using Former Teen Center Building Downtown; Business Plan Remains Unclear

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Greenwich Hospital officials say they’re interested in providing health education programs at The Hub, the former Outback Teen Center building in downtown New Canaan. Part of the Yale New Haven Health System, the hospital was approached by The Hub, the local group led by New Canaan’s Bob Albus that’s seeking new and financially viable uses for the building that also will serve the community, officials say. “We are not looking to invest financially but we are exploring opportunities with Bob to potentially—if funding comes through on his side—to do some health education programs for the community,” Dana Marnane, vice president of public relations at Greenwich Hospital, told NewCanaanite.com when asked about the discussions. Those programs could cover topics such as cardiac care, maternity and those focused on youth or their parents, such as addiction and cooking classes that address healthy eating, she said. It isn’t clear how often the hospital’s programs would run or how the leadership of the Hub’s board of directors views the prospect in terms of the structure’s financial viability.

Around Town

‘We Are Not Going To Do Anything Irresponsible’: For Now, New Canaan Location of Abilis Tied To Doubtful Viability of The Hub

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The head of a nonprofit organization that serves people with developmental disabilities said his agency will only start operating out of The Hub in downtown New Canaan under the board now in charge of the facility if that group somehow achieves financial viability. New Canaan resident Dennis Perry, president and CEO of Greenwich-based Abilis, said his organization’s first priority is to avoid doing “anything that puts the population we serve at risk.”

“I will not open up and find the facility that we are operating in is not financially viable, and then have to shut down,” Perry said when asked about the prospect of operating out of the lower level of The Hub, as per a Memo of Understanding now in place. “The discontinuity that would create for these individuals who do not transition well—we would be irresponsible to do that.”

The comments come as questions surround The Hub’s ability to make money and self-sustain—a challenge that the building’s former operator, the Outback Teen Center, was unable to overcome, ultimately closing for good last summer. Inchoate plans for a catch-all community center appear to have garnered little support. An online campaign seeking to raise $25,000 in support of The Hub has banked just $2,320 in two weeks—with more than a quarter of that from board members themselves—raising questions about the community’s interest in the broad program that’s been proposed for the facility.

Government

Town Officials Seek To Set Aside $10,000 for Community Facility ‘The Hub,’ Formerly Outback Teen Center

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One year after the Outback Teen Center received no town funding as its board at the time sought to forge a public-private partnership with New Canaan, town officials are proposing to put $10,000 into a contingency fund that could support a re-branded facility under new leadership that’s designed to serve a wider demographic. Because the major program expected to run out of “The Hub,” as the newly launched Outback building has been re-branded, would meet a major need by serving special needs adults, the Health & Human Services Commission for next year’s budget is seeking to set aside $10,000 to support the nonprofit organization, according to Judy Dunn, the commission’s chair. “The state of Connecticut stops aiding special needs people at age 21, so after that they get nothing,” Dunn told the Board of Selectmen on Wednesday in proposing a spending plan for next fiscal year. “Because this is an entirely new program, we didn’t want to take the entire amount they asked for and just say, ‘Here,’ ” Dunn said at the meeting, held at Town Hall. “We did not feel that was fiscally responsible of us to do.