Newbold town chair shares update on community center

Newbold town chairman Dan Hess offered an update Aug. 31 on construction of the town’s new community center.

It should be completed in about two months, he said as he displayed the project’s budget for everyone. 

“The loan is at $1.5 million, the interest is at $40,000 already on that loan,” Hess said, noting that the town board has spent nearly $650,000 for the project so far. 

He said the project is well within its budget and nothing has been spent out of its contingency fund yet. 

Hess indicated, though, at least some of the money from the contingency fund — which has a balance of $150,000 — will be used at some point.

“So we’re doing very well so far,” he said. “And I don’t expect much more for change orders.”

The board subsequently approved $4,801 in change orders.

COVID-relief funding amounting to about $287,000 has been set aside for the project as well. Hess told The Lakeland Times Sept. 1, none of that funding has been used yet, but added he thinks the town will need to use “probably a couple hundred (thousand).”

“I don’t think we’ll use the whole thing, but I’m not positive yet,” he said. 

Hess also noted at the meeting, donations for the project sit at a total of about $16,000. He asked town supervisor Petra Pietrzak if she had any thoughts on that. 

“I think if we want to trigger some more donations, we probably need to do something,” she said. “Not that I have any great ideas right now.”

Among other things, the town did send a mailer out to notify the community and garner interest. 

“I’ll feel better once we recoup what the mailing cost us,” Pietrzak said.

Trevor Greene may be reached via email at [email protected].