$8.8M In Repairs Readied For Floyd Little

A new indoor track, roof, locker rooms, and scoreboard are all one step closer to coming to the Floyd Little Athletic Center — as alders endorsed accepting nearly $8.8 million in state funds to make those planned improvements a reality.

Alders voted unanimously in support of that state-money-receipt plan during Wednesday night’s Community Development Committee meeting in the Aldermanic Chamber on the second floor of City Hall. The proposal now heads to the full Board of Alders for further review and a potential final vote.

Representatives from the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) district presented their plans for the funding to the committee, led by Hill Alder Carmen Rodriguez.

According to the presentation given by NHPS Supervisor of Magnet Grant Programs Michele Bonanno, $3.1 million will be used to improve the form and function of the fieldhouse at 480 Sherman Pkwy. Specific improvements include reconstructing the indoor track surface, updating concessions and common spaces, and adding a contemporary scoreboard alongside upgraded life safety systems. 

Another $4.8 million will be used to improve assets in the center, including adding a new roof system, updated locker rooms, and upgrades to the physical plant. 

Lastly, $870,000 will be used to elevate the environmental performance of the facility, such as LED lighting and water saving upgrades.

Wednesday’s presentation comes after school district leaders grappled last fall with a host of concerns about the property, which is used not just by NHPS students but also by out-of-town school districts and athletic leagues who regularly pay to rent out the space. Those concerns included $100,000 estimated to repair the center temporarily, and $1.3 million needed for the long term.

In early June, the State Bond Commission approved $25 million in aid for a variety of New Haven developments. The Floyd Little renovation was included in this package.

“Once I heard about the possibility, I jumped for joy,” Superintendent Madeline Negrón said. ​“I knew that the fall sports were in jeopardy if we did not have the funds necessary to make some significant repairs to the track starting now, this summer.”

When asked by Beaver Hills Alder Brian Wingate about the project’s timeline, Bonanno clarified that the repair project began Tuesday, before Wednesday’s meeting. She emphasized that the district is working ​“diligently” to finish developments before the start of fall sports. Bonanno also said, after a question from Fair Haven Alder Frank R. Redente Jr., that the district intends to use the center for ​“bigger ticket” events.

Bonanno emphasized the importance the facility would have to the community. In the past, the center has served as a space for not only high school athletic events, but also as a vaccination center during Covid alongside various other community events. Although Negrón did not have the exact figure on how much revenue the district makes from renting the center out, she assured the committee that the funds went back into maintaining the center.

“We host state champions [at Floyd Little] year to year,” Bonanno, who was joined by Hillhouse track coach Gary Moore, pointed out. ​“It’s important that they have a safe, modern facility to be practicing on.”