East Lyme ― A vision for the aging Community Center laid out by a team of specialists in architecture, landscape design and community engagement has given the Board of Selectmen a lot to consider as it weighs what the community wants against how much taxpayers can afford to pay.

Consultant Brian Cleveland, of Brian Cleveland Architects, on Wednesday presented the feasibility study he was hired to produce with $38,000 in federal pandemic relief funding.

Three options, costing an estimated $8.3 million to $17.5 million, represent what he described as “varying degrees of expansion or renovation” to the building built almost 35 years ago on Society Road.

The 61-page report described “a prospective vision” and program options that will need to be analyzed going forward.

First Selectman Dan Cunningham called the document a conversation starter.

“I think we have a lot to look at,” he said.

For Selectwoman Candice Carlson, it was a wish list.

“How are we going to pay for it?” she asked, referencing a budgeting priority of Cunningham’s that prioritizes needs over wants. “There’s a lot of wants in here.”

Cleveland identified replacement of the original roof and more accessibility for those with disabilities among the most pressing needs.

The lowest-priced option would reconfigure the layout of the building and update the grounds. The middle option, coming in at $11.1 million, would add a second floor over the library. The most expensive option would include everything in the first two options, plus the construction of a freestanding field house with interior basketball courts and an exterior climbing wall.

The small, medium and large options would expand the 35,085-square-foot building to 39,140 square feet, 45,800 square feet and 60,776 square feet, respectively.

The concepts are based on priorities expressed in meetings with department heads and focus groups of seniors, library patrons and teens. Jade Esplin of the New York-based Margaret Sullivan Studio said the main themes everyone agreed upon involve enhanced outdoor space, more room for events and lectures, and small meeting rooms where the town’s social service providers can meet with clients.

There was also a focus on forging “intergenerational connections” within the building that includes the senior center, youth center and library. One popular request was for a cafe Esplin said would serve as a “casual spot for all generations to meet up, grab a cup of coffee and hang out.”

All three options propose a cafe be located in the shared lobby area as “a central gathering hub” for the community.

Aris Stalis of Aris Land Studios pitched outdoor concepts that range from open spaces to play, gather and garden in the lowest-cost option to a covered stage and a greenhouse in the most expensive plan.

It also includes what Stalis characterized as the most important elements of the outdoor plan: the safety considerations inherent in new pedestrian paths and parking configuration.

“If anything, one of the things that really needs to be addressed is creating a series of walkways from the schools,” he said of neighboring Lillie B. Haynes School and East Lyme Middle School. “We have crosswalks, then it’s just like ‘alright, go anywhere.’”

He also reconfigured the parking lot with spaces perpendicular to the building, which he said makes room for about a dozen more vehicles and is more safe to walk through.

Planning ahead

East Lyme Public Library Executive Director Lisa Timothy told selectmen there’s less dedicated library space in the base option than it has currently.

“$8 million for less space would be problematic,” she said.

The report said 14,340 square feet currently allocated to the library would decrease to 13,852 square feet in the first option. The third option would expand the library’s area to 17,764 square feet.

“Something’s got to give here,” she said. “I’m reasonable. $17 million is a lot. But I think we can think outside the box and use this as a starting point to start discussing priorities and how to adapt some of this into something that’s beneficial for the whole community.”

The library is currently seeking input from residents through a survey as part of its strategic planning process.

Timothy pointed to $2 million in state grant funding for libraries that could be used for the renovation, as well as federal grant money that could be used for space dedicated to the exhibition and storage of Nehantic tribal artifacts being acquired by the East Lyme Historical Society.

Senior Center Director Kristen Caramanica said her department could also bring in grant funding for the project.

Selectwoman Rose Ann Hardy emphasized the importance of having a vision to help guide planning in the near and long term.

“It’s not just (about) what we need, but thinking ahead to our grandchildren,” she said. “Thinking about what we want our community to be like.”

It’s a conversation that has to happen “before the roof falls in,” according to Hardy.

“Then we have to do it,” she said of the building project. “And what’s been damaged in the meantime?”

e.regan@theday.com