CANAAN — Canaan may soon take some steps to raise money to build a long-awaited community center.
Voters at Town Meeting next month will be asked to approve the sale of the former Cozy Corner garage and to establish a reserve fund from the proceeds which will go toward building a community center on town property near Williams Field. Neither article would impact the tax rate.
Residents voted to purchase the building, which sits on around a fifth of an acre of land on Route 4 in Canaan Village, for $50,000 in 2002 with the intent of turning it into a community center, Town Administrator Mike Samson said, but it is only 3,000 square feet, while 4,000-5,000 square feet is needed for a building. Cozy Corner is currently used as storage space.
“The greatest use of the Cozy Corner property is to help raise money for a community center,” Samson said.
The town also owns two additional lots between Cozy Corner and Red Wagon Bakery that the town can sell without asking voter approval, Samson said. Canaan plans on selling at least one of those parcels as well, but because Cozy Corner was purchased with the intent of building a community center, voters need to approve the sale.
“I would anticipate that if the market is right we would get more than $100,000 for it,” Samson said, adding that a few years ago a buyer offered the town $150,000 for the structure. “The goal is to raise $400,000 off the sale of two or more properties.”
Cozy Corner itself is not in good shape, Samson said, but the location is good because of the amount of traffic that passes through Canaan Village on Route 4.
“If I were buying it for a commercial business, I would tear it down and put up a new building that was energy efficient and functional,” Samson said. “But it’s a great location for businesses because of its visibility.”
The Selectboard has been considering the project for the last six years or so but it has taken on greater urgency.
“The board is turning over in the next two or three years and they would like to see the issue addressed before they retire from the board,” Samson said.
That being said, Samson said it will likely be a couple years before a community center itself is put before the public.
“Anything we do ultimately for a community center is going to be approved by voters,” Samson said. “My guess is voters are going to expect us to come up with a plan that doesn’t raise taxes.”
Beyond Indian River Middle School and Mascoma Valley Regional High School in West Canaan, there is not a large space for community gatherings. People in town used to use Canaan Hall on the Canaan Fairgrounds, but it is now being use by the Canaan Motor Club.
Samson said a new community center would likely cost up to $500,000 to build. It would include a large room, a kitchen, bathrooms and storage space for recreation department equipment. It could be used for summer camp and dinners, among other programs. Community members would also be able to rent it out for a small fee for weddings, memorial services and other events, Samson said.
“It gives a lot of options for people of all ages to come together,” he said. “Frankly, I think it will also help to build the village spirit, in other words give people a reason to go to the village.”
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
