Williamstown Youth Center Sets Ribbon Cutting, Tours
 Executive Director David Rempell led the media on a tour of the new building on Wednesday. |
The ribbon cutting will be on Saturday, Oct. 27, at 11:30 a.m. and will feature tours of the building. The construction is being completed on schedule and the center will move in on Nov. 5.
"The team that worked on the project was exemplary," Executive Director David Rempell said during a tour on Wednesday of the new building next to the Elementary School. "It was everything that I could have hoped for in terms of the process of construction."
The center's capital campaign raised $4.27 million to replace its dilapidated building on Cole Avenue and broke ground in the spring after multiple delays. Officials are waiting for the "punch list" items to be finished, new furniture is to be delivered Wednesday and Thursday, and signage the next week.
During the months of construction, Rempell said there were some roadblocks — particularly with digging up the foundation of the old Mitchell School — but nothing that added significant costs and wasn't easily solved by project managers.
But digging up the foundation turned out to be a larger project than expected. Officials had a contingency fund specifically for that aspect because they had no idea how much of the foundation was left. Nearly two-thirds of the construction site had foundation underneath it, Rempell said.
Overall, the building was completed on budget and on time and organizers are seeing the new location as a way to create tremendous opportunities for the center's programs.
The one-story building features a gym, kindergarten and first grade (the center will be leasing space to the Community Preschool for school-age children), kitchenette, movement room, art room, administrative offices, teen room and game room.
The new layout allows for groups of students to move from activity to activity and can accommodate nearly double the amount of students the center typically has in a year.
"There will be an opportunity to experience things they couldn't before," Rempell said.
The building was constructed to handle 100 students and center officials are preparing for just that with the hiring of two additional staff members and the possibility of more to come. Rempell said he expects to see more middle school students because now there is a separation between the age levels that wasn't there before.
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The center may include more grade levels in the future but for now there will only be programming for Grades 1-8.
Additional benefits are access to the school's playing fields for outdoor activities, a library and technology room to help with homework, the addition of a morning program for elementary pupils and increased collaboration with the elementary school — staff members will be there during the day to help accommodate student's needs and interests.
Other additions include the Berkshire Dance Theatre renting space for classes and programming and the gym being open to the community.
"We have a problem in the community with finding gym time. This will alleviate that," Rempell said.
Assistant Director Mike Williams was happy that the new building is oriented in a way that officials can keep an eye on all of the students and was excited for the possibilities of collaborations between disciplines.
The new building is a major upgrade from Cole Avenue, where the building has fallen into such disrepair that the basement is unusable. The new structure not only provides room for growth but will also help with utility costs. The building will be LEED-certified and is all electrical.
"It will be much less expensive to keep this building comfortable that it was to keep the old building uncomfortable," Rempell said.
The Cole Avenue property has been put on the market and Rempell said on Wednesday an agreement is nearing with a buyer. He declined to reveal the buyer but said the deal could be completed in the next few weeks.
For those unable to attend the opening celebration, Rempell will be leading tours on Tuesday, Oct. 30, and on Thursday, Nov. 1, at both 3:15 and 7 p.m.
"This was built by the community and we want them to know it is open to them," Rempell said.
Additionally the center will be holding a celebration of the children moving in on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m.
Tags: building project, ribbon cutting, youth center,
