Town plans exterior work at Waveney and weighs demolition vs. repair of Irwin House; playhouse lobby project partially funded

Town staff reviewed several town‑owned building capital requests and said they are balancing preservation, program needs and cost when weighing repair versus replacement.

The workshop materials include $2.45 million in exterior improvements for the Waveney house and a $1.32 million exterior package for the Irwin House. For Irwin House, staff said they are running parallel cost estimates for exterior rehabilitation versus demolition and replacement; the town has requested an environmental review and a demolition estimate so elected officials can compare an apples‑to‑apples lifecycle cost of repair versus new construction, including interior upgrades and program use changes.

Staff noted that some nonprofit and community groups currently use town space. New Canaan Cares and CERT occupy space in town buildings, and staff said any future decisions about subsidized nonprofit space would be a policy choice for elected leaders because providing space to nonprofits either as rent subsidies or in‑kind use creates an ongoing expense to the town.

Separately, the Youngs Playhouse (the “Playhouse”) requested funding for an annex and for lobby improvements. The Playhouse sought a $1 million annex ($500,000 hoped for from a town appropriation and $500,000 from fundraising) but received a $100,000 grant and remains short about $400,000. The board of finance reportedly recommended removing the town’s $500,000 contribution to the annex and instead supporting a $265,000 request that would fund lobby reconstruction and allow work on the facility’s foyer and related interior improvements. Staff said the annex funding decision will affect whether certain exterior bathroom and lobby work should proceed in tandem or in separate phases; cutting floors and utility work for bathrooms or an annex can require rework if phases are not coordinated.

Staff also noted that some playhouse work had been proposed under the town’s public‑private partnership framework; presenters said the public‑private path becomes moot if town funds are used for a project, because use of town funds requires formal town approval and oversight.

Presenters urged elected officials to consider long‑term use cases for town buildings and to weigh whether the town should subsidize nonprofit space or instead offer other forms of support such as rent subsidies off‑site. Staff said the board of finance and council will need to set policy guidance if the town is asked to provide ongoing subsidized space.