Newington, CT After nearly 10 years of public debate, the town approved a $28.8 million bond for a new town hall with voters favoring the project by a more than 2-1 margin, giving the town the votes needed to move ahead with its plans to build.

As a result, QA+M Architecture will develop its design of the proposed 75,000 s/f town hall and community center to be built in the upper town hall parking lot. The new building allows for improved resident access to town services, an open floor plan, and a reduction of 28,000 s/f from the town’s existing deteriorating and leaky town hall. The community center space includes two full-sized basketball courts. The plan provides more storage spaces and a discrete entrance for human services and board of education offices with an open floor plan, town council chambers, community television and the Transition Academy.

“After so many years of public discussion, we are delighted to have been able to help the Newington community achieve consensus on their town hall project,” said Thomas Arcari, principal-in-charge of QA+M.
“QA+M Architecture is looking forward to furthering our working relationship with the town and designing a town hall that meets Newington’s programmatic, municipal and recreational needs.”

QA+M Architecture’s preliminary project schedule has design and construction documents beginning this month, with bidding taking place in June of 2018. The construction project would begin in September 2018 and completed by March 2020. In the preliminary plan, the existing town hall will remain in operation while construction is going on.

QA+M Architecture led a series of public workshops to develop community consensus and unite the public behind a plan to build a new Town Hall. Led by Arcari and Kyle Baron,QA+M project designer, the project was shepherded through a lengthy approvals process. Site configuration, recreation fields, traffic, walkability, environmental impact, cost and state building aid were among the many concerns expressed by the residents.