Have Some Multi-Generational Fun at the Newtown Community Center

The Newtown Community Center captures what this community
is all about: inclusivity and kindness.

Selling your home? Get a home value report here


Looking to buy a home? Search all local homes for sale
here






This month’s Hero Around Town is the Newtown Community
Center, and today I’m joined by Executive Director Matt
Ariniello to talk about some of their services, amenities,
and membership opportunities.

Matt’s enthusiasm and demeanor capture what we in the
Newtown community thought this rec center could be.
Their pools are amazing, but they have other great
amenities people can enjoy too. Their full-service art
studio, for instance, offers after-school programs for kids
and adults. Four days a week, they bus in elementary school
students from all over Newton.

They also have a wide variety of health and wellness
programs that differ from what you’d see at a typical gym,
and the largest rental space in town—complete with a full
commercial kitchen. Thus far, they’ve hosted the
Scholarship Association Gala, the Catherine Violet Hubbard
Animal Sanctuary workshops, and they’re soon hosting the
Chamber of Commerce Mardi Gras. All in all, their
multi-purpose space has a capacity of 250 people. On top of
that, they’re a great place to host birthday parties.




The town has embraced this space and its
philosophy of being open to everybody.



While the rec center was being built, there was some
contention over how it would be used, but the town has
embraced this space and its philosophy of being open to
everybody. Initially, their goal was to have 1,000
members, but at the moment, they have upwards of 4,500.
As they were crafting their mission statement, they
decided that another one of their goals was to be
multi-generational, and they’ve reached the point where
they truly have something for everyone.

My kids take swim lessons at the community center, and my
impression is that it’s taking on what the residents
of Newtown believe this town is all about: inclusivity
and kindness. As you may remember, I spotlighted the
Better Day Cafe on a previous edition of Hero Around
Town, and that cafe is located in the rec center’s lobby.
It’s staffed by students from the Newtown Public Schools
Transition Program, which means they get to learn
culinary and accounting skills and develop other job
skills while they interact with the public. Moving
forward, the rec center is committed to keeping this
staff and growing the program.

If you haven’t been to the rec center yet, head on down
and they’d be happy to give you a tour. Thanks so much to
Matt for joining me. If you have any real-estate related
questions that I can answer, feel free to reach out at
any time via phone or email. I look forward to hearing
from you soon.