A Waterbury nonprofit that provides youth mentorship, educational and enrichment programs could receive a little more than a quarter-acre of city-owned land to support a planned expansion of its community center.
The city’s Board of Aldermen, meeting next Tuesday, will consider a request from Mayor Paul Pernerewski’s administration to sell three properties totaling 0.28 acres to the Rivera Memorial Foundation for $3. The vacant properties, which the city claimed through foreclosure in 2020, are adjacent to the nonprofit’s existing community center at 186 Cherry St.
The foundation plans to use the land for off-street parking — which it currently lacks — while it raises money for a broader expansion project estimated to cost between $10 million and $18 million, according to documents shared with aldermen.
Plans call for renovations to the existing 3,611-square-foot, 1921-vintage building to provide a gym, classrooms, kitchen, offices, playground and upgraded parking.
Rivera Memorial Foundation Executive President Jessica Ocasio said she is negotiating a purchase of the existing building and two additional adjacent lots from its current owner, New Opportunities Inc. The foundation has used NOW’s building, known as the Pride Cultural Center, for more than 20 years.
Ocasio said her foundation hopes to raise enough money for construction through grants and sponsors. An expansion of the center would allow the nonprofit to expand its afterschool and summer programs to serve more children, as well as offer programs for parents.
“We always have a lengthy wait list,” Ocasio said. “We are trying to make our space bigger so we can support more families.”
Pernerewski said the city marketed the properties through a public request-for-proposals process, as required by the city charter. The Rivera Memorial Foundation was the only respondent.
“They do a great job with the center and all the services they provide,” Pernerewski said Wednesday morning. “It’s a good thing to be giving them this property. It will be beneficial not just to them but the city as a whole.”
Waterbury’s City Plan Commission endorsed the proposed sale at its May 13 meeting.
