Stamford's Yerwood Center set to reopen in January following closure for asbestos
The city's Board of Representatives recently approved $2.3 million for renovations
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Stamford's Yerwood Center is set to reopen in January, after the city found asbestos-containing material in the 83-year-old building in February, forcing it to close.
"It's been crazy," said Melissa James, who lives across the street. "My kids, they don't have nothing to do."
The Boys & Girls Club of Stamford has been operating the building, and says it was able to relocate the after-school program for the 250 kindergarten through third-grade students from Yerwood to Cloonan Middle School without any interruption in services.
Still, many families were used to walking to Yerwood, and Cloonan is about a mile away.
Cloonan also has no pool, while the one at Yerwood hosts swimming programs for the entire city.
"I got a hotel room, and i just rent it, and they have pools there...but..." said James, shrugging her shoulders.
Boys & Girls Club of Stamford CEO Craig Baker agreed things are not quite the same, saying "Cloonan has been a good temporary home, but Yerwood is our home."
Luckily, the asbestos at Yerwood has been taken care of, and the Stamford Board of Representatives recently approved $2.3 million for renovations, with the plan to have people back in the building in the new year.
"This is an example of a community rallying together to make sure that young people have a safe, positive place to go," Baker said.
The city confirms to News 12 that none of the money is coming from tax payer dollars, and Baker says it will be used to improve other parts of the building, including refurbishing the gym floor and lobby, and redoing all of the classrooms, as well as adding movable partition walls between them.
"We're going to go back in with a new and improved environment, so that we're going to be able to rearrange spaces and really meet the needs of the kids we serve," Baker said.
Until the renovations are done, the Boys and Girls Club will continue to use Cloonan for Yerwood's after-school activities.
