Community center to open at old Peconic Lane School
A new community center is expected to open by mid-June in the old Peconic Lane School.
Town Department of Public Works director Jim McMahon told the Southold Town Board Tuesday that all the rooms have been painted, carpeting has been ordered and air conditioning units are expected to be installed this week. Southold Town historian Toni Booth is planning to decorate the building with historical photos of Peconic.
The board has received a number of requests to use the building, ranging from theater groups interested to the East End Arts Council, which would like to hold some summer programming there.
Recreation supervisor Ken Reeves said he plans to start using the new center by relocating some of the programs slated for the town recreation center next door into the new facility. Last year, he said, the town couldn’t run all the programs teachers were interested in offering at the rec center due to lack of space.
Mr. McMahon said that when the Boy Scouts and yoga classes began meeting in the rec center’s one main room at the same time, he knew some programs would have to be moved.
Board members remained doubtful about the idea of letting one community theater group, East End Light Theater, have primary use of the room with the stage in it. The group had asked for extensive renovations to turn the room into a black box theater.
“We don’t want organizations to think it’s their proprietary space,” said Fishers Island Justice Louisa Evans.
