Huntington selects firm to design building on grounds of Conte Community Center
The former armory in Huntington Station was later renamed the James D. Conte Community Center. The Huntington Town Board nixed its renovation plans due to prohibitive cost. Credit: Johnny Milano
Huntington officials have selected a Patchogue firm to design new plans for a building to be constructed on the grounds of the James D. Conte Community Center in Huntington Station.
The town board approved a $672,611 two-year contract with BBS Architects, Landscape Architects & Engineers to come up with design plans for a pre-engineered building on the East Fifth Street site, to be used as a community center.
Town Supervisor Ed Smyth said the board needed to pivot away from prior plans to renovate the Conte center because it became cost prohibitive, post-pandemic. The center is a former state armory renamed for a former assemblyman who represented the district.
In 2019, estimates for changes to the existing building, which is next to Manor Field Park, to create a community center and sports complex were about $10 million, Smyth said.
After the pandemic, estimates came in at about $14 million, well over the $8.5 million the town had earmarked for the project, Smyth said.
“We’re starting over,” Smyth said. “This is long overdue; we’re going to get it done.”
The state conveyed the armory to the town in May 2013 and since then the building has had extensive environmental remediation and renovation work done to remove asbestos, lead and mold.
Smyth said the Conte center will still get some minor architectural upgrades and will continue to be used as storage for the General Services Department.
The new building, which will be built to the west of the former armory, will be the community center.
John Rovet, 65, is chairman of the Huntington Youth Football League, which uses Manor Field athletic fields adjacent to where the proposed building is to be constructed. He said the community deserves the long-talked-about facility, but is concerned because the area where the building is to be constructed is used for parking.
“We don’t have enough parking to put a new building there,” Rovet said. “On a Saturday if they have something going on at the community center and I have two games, it will be chaotic.”
Smyth said there will be a period of time where parking will be impacted, saying, “We’ll do what we can to mitigate that during the construction phase but I’m confident when the project is complete there will be more than adequate parking on site.”
The town board approved the contract 5-0 at its Aug. 6 meeting.
Huntington officials have selected a Patchogue firm to design new plans for a building to be constructed on the grounds of the James D. Conte Community Center in Huntington Station.
The town board approved a $672,611 two-year contract with BBS Architects, Landscape Architects & Engineers to come up with design plans for a pre-engineered building on the East Fifth Street site, to be used as a community center.
Town Supervisor Ed Smyth said the board needed to pivot away from prior plans to renovate the Conte center because it became cost prohibitive, post-pandemic. The center is a former state armory renamed for a former assemblyman who represented the district.
In 2019, estimates for changes to the existing building, which is next to Manor Field Park, to create a community center and sports complex were about $10 million, Smyth said.
After the pandemic, estimates came in at about $14 million, well over the $8.5 million the town had earmarked for the project, Smyth said.
“We’re starting over,” Smyth said. “This is long overdue; we’re going to get it done.”
The state conveyed the armory to the town in May 2013 and since then the building has had extensive environmental remediation and renovation work done to remove asbestos, lead and mold.
Smyth said the Conte center will still get some minor architectural upgrades and will continue to be used as storage for the General Services Department.
The new building, which will be built to the west of the former armory, will be the community center.
John Rovet, 65, is chairman of the Huntington Youth Football League, which uses Manor Field athletic fields adjacent to where the proposed building is to be constructed. He said the community deserves the long-talked-about facility, but is concerned because the area where the building is to be constructed is used for parking.
“We don’t have enough parking to put a new building there,” Rovet said. “On a Saturday if they have something going on at the community center and I have two games, it will be chaotic.”
Smyth said there will be a period of time where parking will be impacted, saying, “We’ll do what we can to mitigate that during the construction phase but I’m confident when the project is complete there will be more than adequate parking on site.”
The town board approved the contract 5-0 at its Aug. 6 meeting.
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