The Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford (BGCH) has identified a lot behind the former Alfred E. Burr Elementary School to house its new $20 million recreation facility in the city’s South End.
The city council is expected to consider a resolution that allows the city to gift a portion of land at the long vacated Burr School site, at the corner of Meadow and Ledyard streets, to BGCH for $1.
Hartford’s education board has already greenlit the resolution to authorize the city to sign any assessments needed by utility providers for construction of the recreation center.
According to plans, the proposed 30,000- to 35,000-square-foot facility will span over 3.3 acres, and is expected to include a gym, classrooms, a computer lab, and other programming and multipurpose areas.
Sam Gray, president and CEO of BGCH, said the Burr School site is ideal because it’s centrally located in the city’s southern corridor, which he said has more than 7,000 school-aged kids but lacks youth recreation space.
“It opens up the question: where do the 7,000-plus kids go after school?,” Gray said.
A groundbreaking date won’t be set until the city council approves the land swap, which could come as early as next week, he said. A public hearing is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Hartford City Hall, 550 Main St.
In a letter to city council members, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said his office has been working with BGCH for the last year on developing a new facility, which the organization has noted will serve 1,500 children a year in the city’s southeast section.
As of Tuesday, nearly $14 million had been raised for the $20 million recreation center, Gray said.
The fundraising campaign was kickstarted by 30 BGCH board members, who donated $3.5 million of their personal funds, he said. Another $7 million has been pledged by the State Bond Commission.
The corporate sector is also playing a role in the fundraiser.
Property and casualty insurer The Hartford has pledged $1 million and Hartford law firm Shipman & Goodwin LLP has pledged $250,000 for the new facility. An anonymous donor has also contributed $1 million for the project, he said.
This story has been updated