|
|
Officials from the college and the city say they are staking their faith in the possibilities of revving the city’s North End -- and of unleashing the full potential of residents, and especially children, in the neighborhood.
Mayor Domenique Thornton described the university’s involvement as invigorating, adding that it has set a new standard in "town/gown" relations.
"This is another boost for Middletown’s vitality," university President Douglas Bennet said, alluding to the opening this past winter of the new Inn at Middletown on the southern end of Main Street and now the Green Street Center on the northern end.
Beyond that, Bennet said the program provides "important opportunities for Wesleyan to be part of the community."
"To say I’m ‘pleased’ would be understating it," Thornton said. "’Pleased’ would not describe my enthusiasm."
"It’s an absolutely unique program, that is completely run by the university in a building that is owned by the city," the mayor explained. And, she said, it is a further indication that "The university is completely invested, not only in the structure, but I think they have become invested in our community and in our children."
Peggy Busari, who heads the North End Action Team, has campaigned for years to revive the frayed North End.
She called the dedication "a very historic moment for the North End. Acknowledging that NEAT has had to fight to overcome negative opinions of the area," she said. "Everything is positive today; today is not about looking back, but about looking forward."
As tears welled up in her eyes, Busari insisted, "These are not tears of sadness, they are tears of joy and gladness, for everyone, not just in the North End but in city of Middletown. So, be joyful about it."
The university is leasing the building school from the city for $1 a years. In just a few short weeks, director Ricardo Morris said, the university will begin an extensive -- and intensive -- renovation program that is scheduled to be completed in November. Morris said the rejuvenated building should be ready to reopen to serve the community in January.
In all, Wesleyan will spend up to $1.5 million (one third of it donated by a single alumnus) on the renovations.
The building has an interesting history; as related by State Rep. Joseph Serra, D-33, for years it served as the Johnson School, before being abandoned when students transferred to the Macdonough School.
After World War II, it was used as veterans’ housing, and then was reopened as St. Sebastian’s School. It later was used as a site for social service and community action programs before being abandoned again, Serra said.
During the day, the center will be used for programs for preschoolers and their caregivers, Morris said; in the afternoon, it will be used for after-school programs for as many as 75-90 children. At night, he said, there will be still more programs, for older children and for adults from the community.
Bennet said Wesleyan students will come to the school to teach and to mentor and to learn. In addition, working with the university’s Center For Art, visiting performers will also be brought into the center to work with residents.
Pamela Tatge, the CFA’s director, said the programs in the center will focus on music, dance, the visual arts, film, and sound recording.
"Why an arts center?" Tatge explained that in community meetings, "time after time, residents said they wanted a facility that was open day and night, and that would serve their children. What could do that better than the arts?"
And by having "world-class dance companies and jazz acts visit" the center, Tatge said, "it allows the children in the community to finally be connected to what’s out there."
Tatge said she believes the center can serve as both model and a spur for similar involvement in other parts of Middletown and the region.
Morris, who was appointed as director just four months ago (he had previous served as the head of the Alabama Jazz Museum), said, "The arts are the perfect vehicle for change to happen."
To symbolize the hopes embodied by the center, the dedication concluded with Thornton, Morris, Busari and Bennet planting a tree outside the entrance, with the hope and expectation that it will grow and flower just like the children who use the center.
To contact Jeff Mill, call (860)347-3331 ext. 221 or email jmill@middletownpress.com.
