Melissa Bailey Photo
Eidelson, Smuts, Robinson-Thorpe.
As the city asks the state for millions of dollars to fix up the abandoned Goffe Street Armory, officials vowed to get cracking on an alderwoman’s years-long dream to turn the space into a community center.
The city issued a proposal earlier this week to apply for $2.8 million in state money to rehabilitate the former armory at 280 Goffe St.
The application comes after a breakthrough in a negotiation between the city and state over who owns the property and who will pay for repairs, according to city Chief Administrative Officer Rob Smuts. Smuts said the city is “pretty confident” it will receive the dough.
The state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) is reviewing New Haven’s grant application. It is “much too early in the process” to say whether the state will honor the city’s request, said spokesman David Treadwell.
The rehab would pave the way for the city to start occupying the building as soon as 2014, Smuts estimated.
For Claudette Robinson-Thorpe, the neighborhood’s alderman, that day couldn’t come soon enough. Robinson-Thorpe has long dreamed of turning the facility into a youth center.
“This is all I’ve been talking about — trying to get this place fixed up,” said Robinson-Thorpe (pictured), who started her second two-year term in January.
At her prodding, the city explored the idea, leading a tour of the building in 2010. Click here to take a peek inside the cavernous space.
As the city seeks money to make the armory habitable, Robinson-Thorpe and Smuts aim to put a committee together soon to come up with specific plans for what should go inside the 240,000 square-foot building. That will likely include a youth center; it may also include relocating some city services, possibly even the entire Board of Education headquarters, according to Smuts.
Smuts said the armory is in serious need of repair, in part due to mishap during the brutal winter of 2011. Snow piled up on the roof and knocked off a parapet, ripping a hole in the roof and sending firefighters rushing to the scene. Smuts said the accident took place because the state failed to heat the roof, which allowed snow to pile up.
As a result, water poured in, buckling floors. Another problem is that the whole space is served by one central HVAC (heating ventilation and air conditioning) system, which makes it hard to carve up for different uses.
Smuts (pictured) said the question of who would patch up the roof was one key point of discussion as the city and state determined how to move forward with the property. Land records show the state has already transferred the facility to the city. The city contends the land transaction was invalid because the city did not sign off on it, according to Smuts.
“We won’t accept that we own this until these issues” — the roof damage and other structural problems — “are cleared up,” he said.
Smuts said the city negotiated with the governor’s office and agreed to take ownership of the armory if the state pays for the repairs.
DECD spokesman Treadwell said he was unable to comment on those talks as of press time.
The grant money would pay to: repair, replace seal and finish all the floors; remove lead and asbestos; bring the building up to code with the Americans with Disabilities Act; replace the HVAC system; and fix the parapet and roof. The money could come through an Urban Action Grant and the Historic Restoration Fund, both from the state DECD.
The grant applications were submitted Monday for aldermanic approval. Yale Alderwoman Sarah Eidelson said the Youth Committee will hold a public hearing on the matter in the next month.
Pending local and state approval, construction could be completed “sometime next year,” Smuts estimated.
Meanwhile, Smuts and Robinson-Thorpe plan to put together a committee to make concrete plans for the space. The space is so big that the city could rent out parts of the building to generate rental income. Or the city could save money by relocating other city services — such as the Board of Education central office — currently housed in leased buildings.
Eidelson, who chairs the Youth Committee, said the planning will fit well with a project she’s undertaken to inventory youth services across the city and identify the gaps.
As part of the planning process, Robinson-Thorpe and 28 of her colleagues plan to visit a New York City community center called The Door on July 16. Robinson-Thorpe also plans to get back into the building to show fellow aldermen — about half of whom are new and missed the last tour — the potential the building holds inside.
After a curbside interview, Robinson-Thorpe, Smuts, and Eidelson began setting a date for the next armory tour.
Robinson-Thorpe said after so many years, she’s happy to see hope for some progress.
“I’m glad it’s coming to fruition.”
I've wondered why they couldn't put Hyde there, instead of up the block, if they can get the repair and repurposing issues worked out. That is one COLOSSAL building.