Norwalk Approves $7-Million Facility for Sports, Arts

The City Council has approved a $7-million arts and sports complex at Norwalk Park that officials hope will help keep youths off the streets and out of gangs.

The project includes the construction of an open-air amphitheater and a two-story sports building. Two city buildings at the park will be extensively remodeled into a recreation center and a cultural arts center where seminars and exhibits will be held.

“It’s been a dream for the community to have a place of their own, where a family can go and enjoy sports and other presentations,” Mayor Grace F. Napolitano said. “It will give (youths) something to be interested in other than getting into mischief.”

The council had previously approved one phase of the development, the sports complex. The entire project, which was approved Tuesday, is now scheduled to be completed in July, 1991.

The sports building will include a gymnasium and an upstairs workout room for aerobics and gymnastics. Tennis and racquetball courts will be available, and boxing and weightlifting programs are planned, Deputy City Manager Ernie Garcia said.

The project is part of a recent city campaign to curb the growth of gangs in Norwalk. One part of that campaign is a Sheriff’s Department anti-gang program that was started last year. There are eight known gangs with about 2,000 members in Norwalk, officials said.

The activities at the complex will increase the city’s recreational program by about 20%, Garcia said. “We are going to target (youths, potential gang members) and bring them into the facility,” he said.

The amphitheater will seat 800 people. It will have lighting and sound systems for music and theatrical performances. Gallery lighting for exhibits will be installed in the remodeled cultural arts building. A central band room and two practice rooms will be added to the building.

The city is using a variety of sources to fund the project. Norwalk secured a $1-million state grant to help the city develop facilities for youth activities. About $3.5 million will come from the city’s redevelopment agency. Another $2 million will come from the city’s General Fund.

City officials estimate it will cost about $300,000 a year to run the facility. The complex is scheduled to be open seven days a week.