NASHUA, NH – Friday the 13th could not have been luckier for the Crown Hill neighborhood of Nashua. They had the good fortune of having the Arlington Street Community Center (ASCC) reopen its doors after extensive renovations.
The ASCC is a link between schools, families, and community partners providing services, programs, and support for the local neighborhood.
The ASCC is operated by the city of Nashua and is located in the old Crown Hill fire station building that was built in 1892. In operation since 2017 the center required $1,125, 000 in repairs and upgrades. Construction began in January and was completed in August.
Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess presided over the ceremony which was attended by city officials, community partners, and neighborhood residents. He expressed gratitude to the supporters of the center and all who contributed to the project.
He noted the need for repairs and the support for the project. “The building is very old, one hundred and thirty years old or so and it had a lot of problems. We needed to do a lot of renovations. Fortunately, we were able to get the CDFA to help fund the renovations.” he said.
“We are so fortunate to have a community resource like the Arlington Street Community Center here in Nashua,” said Donchess. “This funding enabled us to make critical improvements to this building, and we are excited to see the renovations and move forward with this beloved and important part of the neighborhood.”
The New Hampshire Community Development Fund (CDFA) provided $1 million in funding from their Community Center Investment Program (CCIP) for the project. The scope of work included significant structural repairs of the rear exterior wall and the stone foundation of the building. Other improvements include enhanced accessibility to make the entrances and first floor ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant, window replacements, HVAC system upgrades, insulation, and energy efficiency upgrades.
Rebecca Boisvert, Director of Community Development for CDFA which oversees the CCIP addressed the gathering.
“My team and I are so thrilled to be here today to celebrate the grand re-opening of this fantastic space,” Boisvert said. To date, they have funded 27 community center projects throughout the state which is an investment of more than $20 million. The decision to fund the ASCC project was based on multiple criteria.
“We looked at their need and impact on the community. We considered their location, how accessible they are to the people they are serving through their programs. We looked at their readiness, how able they were to get underway with their renovations,” said Boisvert. “Ultimately we looked very closely at the programming they would be providing. It is really important to us (CDFA) that the organization provide a very multifaceted programming approach with their work so they could ensure they were providing a very wholistic initiative to meet the community needs.”
Community center director Jessica Hägg expressed gratitude for the support from the city, the CDFA, and all of their community partners to accomplish the repairs.
“One of my favorite things about these renovations to the center is that the main floor is now handicap accessible, which is huge,” Hägg said. “We also have the structural strengthening projects that happened. That will help ensure that this building is here for many more years to come to serve even more people.”