Community Center on pace for summer opening

Architect’s rendering of new CCNW headquarters. COURTESY of CCNW

Rear view of CCNW building, this week. JEFF MORRIS PHOTO

By JEFF MORRIS 

The Community Center of Northern Westchester announced this week that considerable progress has been made in the year-long project to expand and renovate its building in Katonah, keeping it on track to open this summer. 

The expanded and renovated building will include an enlarged donation room, food pantry, clothing boutique and classroom, and receiving and storage area for food deliveries.

“Each day brings us closer to the finish line,” said CCNW’s announcement. “The building is now fully insulated and energized; solar panels have been installed and are ready to go; siding is complete; and the building was closed in and weatherproofed before the harsh winter set in.”

“Though less visible from the street, the building’s interior is a hive of activity, with tradespeople working throughout the day,” continued the release. “The elevator and HVAC systems have been installed, drywall has been taped, and new doors and windows are in place.”

According to CCNW, they are now finalizing interior finishes, including tile, flooring, paint colors, signage, and other design elements to create a warm, welcoming, and functional space for all who walk through the doors. “Every detail is being thoughtfully considered to reflect the care, dignity, and sense of community at the heart of our work.”

“We are thrilled with the progress of our construction project and deeply appreciative of the community’s ongoing support,” CCNW executive director Clare Murray told The Recorder. “It is a pleasure to work alongside such an excellent professional team and to be guided by such expert volunteer project advisors. With landscaping and paving set to begin this spring, our project completion is just around the corner!” 

Murray said they look forward to returning home this summer, “timing our move to minimize any disruption to the vital services we provide our neighbors, and to welcoming the community back to 84 Bedford Road very soon.” 

In the meantime, CCNW continues to operate out of a temporary location at 669 Bedford Road, Bedford Hills.

In FAQs posted on its website at the outset of the project, the center noted it had reached a point where “our facility no longer adequately serves our program needs. Over the last 27 years the number of our neighbors helped by the Center, the breadth of our programs, and the scale of our operations has increased significantly.”

“We aim to empower our neighbors to become self-sufficient when possible so they can eventually transition away from needing the center’s services,” said Murray.

The revitalized facility will include a newly installed elevator so that all three levels will be accessible for all; mothers with strollers, seniors with walkers or neighbors in wheelchairs will have universal access.

The design of the new building doubles the space for client meeting rooms and waiting area and more than doubles the donations receiving and sorting room. The food pantry is significantly enlarged, from 700 to 1,100 square feet, with a one-story food storage and receiving area that will dramatically improve food pantry capacity and provide wider aisles for navigation. The new donation room will allow easy processing, sorting and organizing of donations. 

A new adjacent covered food receiving area with a separate entrance will include space for large deliveries, a larger walk-in cooler, and new walk-in freezer and ample storage space. This will enhance the ability to receive and store fresh food, and eliminate the need for additional sheds and pop-up tents on the property. Four dedicated parking spots right in front of the donation room will allow easy drop off, and the receiving area will ensure volunteers are protected from inclement weather as they work. 

An additional 900-square-foot flexible classroom space will allow CCNW to adapt programs to meet the evolving challenges clients face. This space will accommodate groups for educational classes and provide flexibility to create smaller spaces for private client meetings and additional community resources.

The renovation will include a new gravel parking area which will more than double the available parking spaces. A circular one-way driveway and a dedicated walkway from the parking areas will be added, making traffic flow safer for families, donors and volunteers.

The new building is being constructed with energy efficiencies as a priority, including a robust building envelope which is super-insulated. Glulam timber is used in the primary structure, which harnesses renewable and long lifecycle materials. It contains low water fixtures, and highly energy-efficient LED lighting fixtures. The building utilizes electric air sourced heat pumps for eco-friendly heating and cooling, with a high-efficiency condensing boiler as a backup, and energy recovery ventilation to optimize indoor air quality and energy use along with low-VOC materials and finishes to improve indoor air quality.

Stormwater drainage systems will limit the environmental impact and protect the nearby reservoir. In addition, photovoltaic solar panels have been installed on the rear roof of the building, underscoring the commitment to sustainability and renewable energy.

The property plan includes beautification through landscaping, with removal of invasive plants, and planting of native trees, shrubs and perennials to provide ecological diversification, a pollinator pathway, and the creation of more native habitats for flora and fauna.

CCNW has officially launched its “Spring Forward” fundraising campaign to support the planting of native trees and shrubs to create a vibrant, sustainable, eco-friendly landscape.

For more information, visit communitycenternw.org.