SMITHFIELD – Town officials are in accelerating talks with the YMCA to use a portion of the Overbrook Academy property to expand its offerings, says Town Manager Robert Seltzer.
The smaller two-story building on the property would be used by the Y to expand year-round programming, including summer camp and after-school activities. The building will need sprinklers because of the age of the young people who will use it, Seltzer told The Local Insider.
“They’re working with an architect to come up with a budget,” he said, adding that all parties are interested in reaching a mutually beneficial arrangement. They have a great working relationship with the Y, he said, and it would be super to be able to help them expand their programs in this way.
Seltzer said the town is also moving forward with a parallel plan to move municipal offices to the main building on the property at 60 Austin Ave.
Using the old school as the new Smithfield Town Hall makes the most sense, says Seltzer, and they’re working with Aharonian & Associates Architects on a layout for the portions of the building the town would use.
Seltzer said the old steam heating system is the biggest challenge, and they know it will have to be replaced. They’ll also need a new air conditioning system to make it functional, he said.
The town manager said they’re looking at possible grants for upgrades to the main building.
There have been many iterations of plans, said Seltzer, including a time when they thought about moving the School Department here. The new idea is to perhaps repurpose the current Town Hall and move the School Department there, as it’s in much better shape than the existing School Department. They also had talks with the East Smithfield Library, but the building didn’t work for them.
There is far too much history in Town Hall to ever sell it, said Seltzer. Long with the Putnam Pike fire station, he said, the municipal building was built by Franklin Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration.
“It’s a great building,” he said.
Some files have already been moved to the old Overbrook Academy, he said, as Town Hall is tight on space.
He said they’re not sure how they’ll configure everything, but will likely target the first floor and part of the second floor for town offices. They would then look to rent or lease other parts of the building, with a preference for community organizations and nonprofits.
The outdoor areas of the 43.5-acre property are also on the radar, Seltzer added. It’s a beautiful property with an extensive trail system and wooded area, and they’ll be cleaning up the property and making it more user friendly. He said there’s potential for a soccer field, baseball field, and other recreation facilities. The tennis courts will be updated, and repairs will also be made to basketball and volleyball amenities. Anyone will be able to come here and enjoy this beautiful and quiet facility.
The main building of the property covers 87,000 square feet and is three stories tall. The original building dates to about 1945.
The site was used for educational purposes for many decades, and prior to being known as Overbrook Academy, it was associated with the former St. Aloysius facility and later Mater Ecclesiae College. As Overbrook Academy, it was a private Catholic school, serving middle and high school students and operating on the site for many years.
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