Hurricane weighs community center options

A splash pad, skate park and an open atrium could all take up residence at Hurricane's old elementary school if the city decides to move forward with a proposal by a local nonprofit group and a collection of interns from the Rhode Island School of Design. Though the city plans to use the building as a community center, concrete details on its uses have yet to be nailed down. To help with that process, local architect Peter Stempel enlisted the help of six design interns and has spent the summer researching what the community wants from the building. During their research, the students discovered residents and city officials wanted the building to be a central gathering place for the community.

"Pretty much anyone who would listen to us we talked to," Paupeck said. "We took a lot of the elements we learned through talking with people." Those elements included renovations including a splash pad, skate park and recreation areas. City Manager Clark Fawcett said he and other city officials have already expressed interest in some of the ideas, though the city has yet to officially sign on. Where there are renovations, however, there are price tags. And while the city is eager to get moving on potential projects for the property, it still has to come up with funding. The Spectrum