A place for Hartford kids after school: How the newly renovated Blue Hills Recreation Center plans to invest in youth

In the spring of 2011, the Blue Hills Neighborhood Revitalization Zone group held a meeting at the Blue Hills Recreation Center in Hartford.

The next day, the rec center’s roof caved in, closing the building and rendering it unusable, except for the outdoor basketball court, Donna Thompson-Daniel, president of the group, said Thursday.

Hartford and Connecticut officials along with neighborhood leaders announced Thursday that the 4,500-square-foot building located at 9 Lebanon Street is being renovated for $1.6 million, with about $1.2 million coming from the city’s capital improvement plan general fund and $400,000 from an allocation of the Community Development Block Grant.

Construction is expected to begin later this summer and be completed sometime in December.

“I’ve been fighting for it all these years,” Thompson-Daniel said, noting that numerous projects in the Blue Hills neighborhood such as playground improvements and the Weaver High School renovation were completed. “This is the last thing. We have no library in this neighborhood, and we did not have a place for kids to be after school. … This will be a great opportunity for our young people to [go to] and be a meeting space in the community.”

About a year and a half ago, the city proposed tearing down the building and creating an outdoor venue for young families and children, I. Charles Mathews, director of Hartford’s Department of Development Services, said. Those plans included picnic tables, a basketball court and a wading pool. But Neighbors, notably Thompson-Daniel, vehemently objected to the plan, Mathews said, so the city went back to the drawing board.

“It’s what the community wants,” Thompson-Daniel said. “The community wants a building where they can go and congregate. They want a building they can bring a mobile library to.”

At Thursday’s press conference, officials took turns lauding the project moving forward, noting that children will benefit most from it.

“This is something folks in the community have been advocating for for a long, long time,” Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said. “We know right now we need to do everything we can to help our kids recover and reconnect and heal and just have fun after everything they’ve been through. And part of that is investing in programs and investing in youth sports. … But it’s also about creating those spaces and in this case bringing back those spaces that are a vital part of providing that opportunity to just have fun.”

State Sen. Douglas McCrory (D-Hartford) noted the increase in youth violence in the city over the past four years. He also noted the limited options kids had to go to in the North End. The rec center’s renovation will provide a place for kids to go.

State Rep. Joshua Hall (D-Hartford) said the project reflects a “promise fulfilled” when he campaigned for his seat in the legislature.

“We wanted to ensure that we made sure this center reopened,” Hall said. “This coming back is a huge thing for our community. … Today is a good day because it’s a promise fulfilled not just to ourselves, not just to our community, but especially to our children.”

“This rec center is a beacon for this community,” Hartford City Councilman Nick Lebron said. “When the library shut down in Blue Hills, this community really didn’t have any place to gather.”

When Lebron drove by the center, he’d see kids playing basketball out front. To him, that meant the rec center was still a valuable presence in the community.

“Youth speak with their presence and with their feet,” he said. “Even though this place was closed down, they were still utilizing the basketball courts.”

Hartford City Council Majority Leader T.J. Clarke, who lives in the Blue Hills neighborhood with his family, said the rec center has been an important piece of the area for many years.

“I’m just happy we have reached the point where we are going to revitalize the structure,” he said, thanking the various officials who assisted in getting the project approved and funded. “It takes a village, and we have a village that stands behind us and stands behind you.”

Ted Glanzer can be reached at tglanzer@courant.com.