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Town Players seeks $265,000 from town to finish Powerhouse lobby and ADA restrooms; annex remains larger fundraising goal
Summary
Town Players of New Canaan asked the Board of Selectmen to approve $265,000 to finish the Powerhouse theater lobby, ADA restrooms and potting-shed office; the group seeks additional private and grant funding for a later annex replacement.
Patricia Spagani, representing the Town Players of New Canaan, urged the Board of Selectmen to fund a $265,000 town contribution to complete Phase 1 of the Powerhouse renovation: a new lobby, four ADA-compliant restrooms for the theater and conversion of the potting shed to office space.
Spagani said the Town Players have raised about $825,000 toward the project, have spent roughly $100,000 on architectural and engineering work and were awarded a $100,000 state grant in December. She said the $265,000 requested from the town would allow the organization to take the project to firm bid and complete the lobby and ADA restrooms even if the larger annex replacement is handled later.
The annex — a separate project the Town Players estimate at roughly $1 million depending on outfitting and theatrical equipment — remains the group’s longer-term fundraising goal. Spagani said the annex is needed because the current annex has a floor elevation that prevents ADA access from the courtyard and cannot be reasonably adapted for public programming without full replacement.
Several Selectmen pressed for clarity on how the pieces fit together and how much town money has previously been authorized; staff and the Town Players traced earlier allocations (including a prior town authorization and ARPA/other town funding) and confirmed the new $265,000 would “top off” the Phase 1 package so the Town Players can proceed to bid and have funding clarity for the lobby work.
Why it matters: the Powerhouse campus serves theater programming and community events. Town contribution to Phase 1 would finalize the lobby and restrooms and make the theater more accessible; the annex remains a separate fundraising and planning question.
No formal vote on the Town Players’ request is recorded in the transcript segment provided; Selectmen indicated the request is “approvable” pending the usual budget and capital appropriation process.
