By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
NEWPORT, N.H. — The light at the end of the tunnel brightens regarding the roughly $9 million community center in the town of Newport, and despite a couple minor delays, construction of the recreational building will be completed by mid-January.
In July, Recreation Director PJ Lovely, Town Manager Kyle Harris and former Finance Director Paul Brown gave a tour of the 19,500 square-foot building located on Meadow Street to show the construction progress and had an estimate that it would be finished at the beginning of December. However, they also noted at the time that there could be snags along the way due to weather that could push the completion into January 2025.
On Wednesday, Harris confirmed that several small delays snowballed and pushed the timeline into the beginning of the new year.
“There have been a few delays getting our transformer in from Eversource, which kind of created a domino effect,” Harris said. “Almost there, but we aren’t setting a date until we get a little closer. Because, you know, if we get a foot of snow between then it changes again.”
Harris, who was attending construction meetings on Wednesday morning regarding the project, expects Eversource to be installing a transformer by the end of the week. He explained that this is vital to the overall progress because they need permanent building heat to bring the gym floor in. The gym needs two weeks to acclimate to the building, and then they can start the installation, which takes about a week-and-a-half.
“Then we need to paint the lines on the floor and install the bleachers,” Harris said. “So that’ll push us into January.”
The state-of-the-art facility dwarfs its predecessor in size, as well as the opportunities that it provides for the community as a whole. The current building is an 8,000 square-foot armory that was built in 1937, and officials said in a tour that there is just not nearly enough room. Harris has said that the new center will be a “real community complex,” and could be a hub due its proximity to Main Street and what it can offer residents of all ages.
This is a project that has been about 30 years in the back including the conceptual design, and ground broke on construction about a year ago. It has a focus on creating public space, as well as a massive gymnasium that can fit the current recreation center in it. This facility will be a great spot for birthdays and other programs, as well.
The center will have a fitness room, storage area and office for the recreation director, and also be a spot for various programs. The new building will allow for five programs at once, and the gym can divide to allow for multiple activities.
The facility will also have a multi-purpose room with ping pong tables and couches, and provides an open area for children to play. When there are sporting events being played, both indoor at the fields on the property or inside, there will be a concession stand for people to get refreshments.
The building has five team rooms and 11 bathrooms (one with a shower), which is a massive improvement over the current facility’s one bathroom.
Newport is no stranger to construction projects of late, and right as one is coming to an end, a brand-new wastewater treatment plant is about to break ground. Construction of the new plant is set to begin by the end of this month, and Harris said there is a November 2026 completion date slated for the $33 million facility.
Harris confirmed Newport will be holding a ribbon cutting ceremony in early 2025 for the new community at a date and time that will be announced in the near future.
