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Student proposes converting Quasi Hut into teen activity space
Summary
Valerie Weaver, a local student, asked the Gardner City Council to convert the Quasi Hut on North Elm Street into an affordable, multiuse indoor activity space for 10'18-year-olds, arguing it would be more feasible than a bowling alley and could be funded with modest tax or fee approaches.
Valerie Weaver, introduced by the council as a student presenter, asked the Gardner City Council to convert the Quasi Hut on North Elm Street, across from the library, into a low-cost, multiuse indoor activity space for people aged 10 to 18. "Building a bowling alley would cost between 2 and $6,000,000 depending on the size," she said, and she urged the city to consider a smaller, flexible activity space that could host studying, crafts, clubs and events.
Weaver said she surveyed high school students and found bowling and a general activity space were the most popular options; while a bowling alley would be costly and require substantial capital, she said an activity space could be feasible with roughly $370,000 per year in new revenue — a figure she derived from an estimate that a $40 annual tax increase per homeowner would raise about that amount. She proposed using the already-built Quasi Hut to lower construction costs and suggested modest user fees and concessions to help cover staffing and operations.
Council members praised Weaver's presentation as "well thought out" and thanked her for bringing youth perspectives to council deliberations. No formal council action was taken; Weaver invited staff to follow up on feasibility and design details.
