New Haven Independent

The Hill Cooperative Youth Services (HCYS) at 158 Carlisle St. in the Hill’s Trowbridge Square section once rang with the sound of basketballs, kids on tricycles and adults chanting English grammar drills.

If you walked inside, “Babies would be running in the gym right now, running and screaming,” said former HCYS Executive Director Harvey, standing in the empty room Friday. “You would hear the pitter patter of their feet. People would be coming in and out getting applications for energy assistance.” In the afternoon, buses would unload teens for leadership classes, homework help and games of hoops.

HCYS had run programs for over 30 years, serving 200 kids per day. The building, owned by the city, closed in 2004 for renovations, said Harvey. The roof needed repair. So did the furnace system. Repairs were done within a few months, but HCYS never moved back in. The agency ran programs out of a nearby school but stopped last fall.

Harvey and others are now working to reopen the building, which was a vital, low-cost resource for low-income people in the Hill. “We hear the cries of the young people that we want a community center,” she said. “We have leadership in the community that says we want young people to have access to resources.”

Harvey returned to the graffitti-ed building a few months ago with a group that was interested in doing the necessary clean-up to regain a certificate of occupancy. They walked into the gym. “There was water everywhere, everywhere.” Warped floorboards twisted upwards. In the kitchen, Harvey found all the cabinets destroyed by water damage. “We cried. Then they came in and ripped every thing out.”

A recent theft compounded the building’s problems, and revivers’ dismay. A clean-up team from United Way’s Day of Caring came through two weeks ago, clearing out cluttered rooms, throwing away old toys and furniture. They went to the basement to see if they could turn the water on.

Thieves had cut a hole in the outside door, and stolen all the copper pipes, leaving discarded insulation on the floor.

Still, Harvey’s optimistic that with enough funding, programming can be restored. She’d like to see the place turned over from the city to a private entity to run as a community center. Bob Levine, director of the city’s parks and recreation department, said he’s made a standing offer to HCYS to that effect. Five years ago, the city told HCYS’ board members they could have the building for $1 if they proved they had the income to “sustain” themselves.

In recent months, Levine has met with board members about revamping the building. HCYS has access to a state grant that would fund the fix-up, but Levine didn’t know if it would suffice. HCYS’s Vera Peterson had one comment: “Help!”

Recent clean-up efforts have drawn neighbors’ interest: Three popped by during the Day of Caring to tell workers how the facility was a safe place for kids and they’d like to see it restored.

Louis Bravo, who was hanging out in Trowbridge Square this week with his dog, Knuckles, said the neighborhood hasn’t felt the same since the center shut its doors. “They had a big crowd in there, a lot of action, a lot of kids.” Looking at the almost-empty Trowbridge Square park, he said these days, “There’s nobody around. It’s just completely dead.”

To donate or help, call Kaye Harvey at 777-6297.