Power Wellness vetted to operate New London community center; residents press for written access, fee and programming guarantees

Power Wellness, a national recreation-center operator, gave a presentation to the New London City Council on plans to run the new New London Community Recreation Center while residents pressed the council for written guarantees on affordability and programming access.

The presentation Tuesday followed a public-comment period in which residents asked the council to require explicit definitions of a “sliding scale” fee structure, protected hours for city-run programming and youth leagues, and affordable options for seniors. Patrick Sheengalmer of 246 Connecticut Ave. told the council that sliding scale could be reduced in practice to a token discount without specific numbers: “sliding scale could mean, yeah, we take a $1,000 fee, we made it $800,” he said.

Why it matters: The rec center is intended to house municipal programming for swim lessons, youth leagues and senior services that many residents said are now difficult to access. Speakers and city recreation staff said unclear terms on fees and time allocation could limit the facility’s ability to deliver the programs the community sought in its needs assessment.

During public comment, Andrea Frasier of 57 Chapel Drive said the needs assessment assumed the municipal recreation department would have use of the facility and warned that restricting the department’s hours could “inhibit their ability to grow and increase their programming offerings.” She noted that, currently, “all swimming programs are offered at Avery Point” and that swim availability there is limited to a few weekend hours. James Singleton from 50 Mountain Avenue urged the council to ensure affordability for seniors as well as youth.

Felix Reyes, director of ODP, told the council that many of the public questions match those staff encountered while selecting an operating partner and said the presentation was intended to answer them and present a path to sustain the facility: “How do we take care how do we create a take care of our own and still be able to afford to maintain it? And today is is is the answer and the solution to that,” Reyes said.

Representatives of Power Wellness introduced the company and its approach. Charmaine O’Sullivan said she will work locally over the next six months to prepare operations. Max Hanner, chief revenue officer, said the company used the city’s request-for-proposal (RFP) process to shape its proposal. Ken Gorman, founder and CEO, described Power Wellness’s mission and track record: “our purpose is to provide excellence in recreation center management,” he said, and cited the firm’s experience opening and managing municipal and institutional centers since 1997.

Power Wellness and city staff said the company reviewed the Brailsford & Dunlavy feasibility report and ran its own membership and revenue projections; the presenters told the council they are confident they can meet the study’s membership targets. City staff also said the selection committee reviewed four proposals and recommended Power Wellness based on experience and financial projections.

Residents asked specific operational questions that the presentation did not definitively resolve at the meeting: what numeric thresholds will define sliding-scale discounts; how many hours will be reserved at no or reduced cost for city-run leagues and recreation programs; whether rec-department programs will pay to use the space; and precise pricing for senior memberships. Andrea Frasier said the needs assessment had proposed a three-phase programming rollout and that the city is currently in year one, noting that the rec department had added six hours of programming for an upcoming cycle.

Council business at the start of the session included a short procedural motion to recess for five minutes; the motion was seconded and the council voted to carry it.

The presentation continued after the recess. Power Wellness outlined an operations plan, client references and “keys” to long-term facility success; staff said they expect the center to open in mid-2025, but the meeting record did not contain a firm, signed contract or a final council vote to award a management contract during this session.

Next steps cited by staff and presenters included further Q&A with council and staff, finalizing operational details such as fee schedules and time-allocation rules, and completing any remaining contracting steps before opening.