New England College expands athletic facilities with a renovation of Bridges Gymnasium. Plans for new Stebbins Center in Manchester include social services, youth programs, healthcare, and will be named after late CEO Mark Stebbins.
Rendering courtesy of New England College
As part of the Athletics Center development at New England College in Henniker, N.H., the addition to Bridges Gymnasium will blend seamlessly with NEC’s academic architecture.
New England College (NEC) in Henniker, N.H., is moving ahead with the second phase of its athletic facilities expansion. Starting this spring, the private liberal arts college will overhaul and renovate Bridges Gymnasium, build new offices for the athletic department and further expand the strength lab.
Phase one of the project, completed last summer, featured a resurfaced Turf Field and equipment upgrades for the Strength Lab. These upgrades set the stage for the ambitious developments now under way.
According to a Dec. 29 Concord Monitor report, the college's upcoming project is an even larger undertaking that aims to elevate the quality of campus life and athletics for NEC's students, 46 percent of whom are varsity Division III athletes and an additional 4 percent who participate in club sports.
"This is more than a construction project — it's a bold step forward," said Wayne F. Lesperance Jr., the president of NEC. "The Athletics Center exemplifies NEC's innovative spirit and commitment to student success, whether on the field, in the classroom or beyond. This facility will energize our campus and elevate the experience of every NEC student."
The next phase of the Athletics Center reimagines Bridges Gymnasium with a full-scale renovation, followed by a groundbreaking in spring 2025 for a new addition. As part of the Athletics Center development, the addition to the gym will blend seamlessly with NEC's academic architecture.
The expansion was designed by Stone River Architects and will be built by Harvey Construction, both of which are located in Bedford, N.H.
The design includes modern offices for coaches, a fitness center for all students and faculty, locker rooms, strength training areas and sports medicine rooms.
"As an alumnus and longtime board member, I've seen NEC embrace change and innovation to benefit its students. The Athletics Center is a monumental leap forward, and I'm thrilled to see its impact on campus life and student achievement," said Lex Scourby, alumni, and chair of the small school's Board of Trustees, in a press release from the college.
Manchester Board Shown Plans for New Stebbins Center
Officials with the nonprofit behind the efforts to build the Mark Stebbins Community Center (MSCC) on the west side of Manchester, N.H., went before the city's Planning Board Jan. 2 seeking approval for a proposed development and site plan for the project.
The 501(c)3 nonprofit is proposing to construct an approximately 19,800-sq.-ft. multipurpose social services center, a two-story community center and corresponding playground, and a parking lot.
The entire site is within a lease area on the Kelley Falls apartment complex property at 315 Kimball St. owned by the Manchester Housing & Redevelopment Authority (MHRA), according to the New Hampshire Union-Leader in a published report just before Christmas.
Once constructed, the building will be home to several nonprofit organizations that will provide multiple collaborative services under one roof.
The two-story social services center is slated to include 13,124 sq. ft. of space dedicated to youth and child services, a community center occupying approximately 1,600 sq. ft. that will offer community resources, meeting space, and a food pantry; and a 5,120-sq.-ft. outpatient health care practitioners office.
Last May, the New Hampshire Executive Council approved $1 million in funding to help cover costs associated with the community center's construction, anticipated to begin this spring.
In the planning stages for years, the new facility will be named for Mark Stebbins, a Manchester native and CEO of Hookset-based PROCON, New Hampshire's largest architectural construction firm, who died in June 2021 at age 67.
After several months of reviewing options and exploring possible sites, the MSCC Board of Directors and the Board of Commissioners for the MHRA, announced in late December that the two entities had signed a 75-year lease to build and operate the new facility at the Kelley Falls housing community, a 132-unit, low-income housing apartment complex on Kimball Street.
Some or all apartments in the Kelley Falls complex are rent-subsidized, which means rent is income-based, the Union Leader noted.
MHRA owns the land and has agreed to lease it to the Mark Stebbins Community Center for what organizers have termed a "nominal amount," and the MSCC will then raise the funds needed to build the project.
Organizers told the Manchester news source that the local Boys & Girls Club and Amoskeag Health will provide services for youth and families on the West Side through the new center. Among them will be affordable and walkable child care, after-school care, access to affordable healthcare, community meeting space and additional support services.
In addition, the project will include a 73-vehicle parking lot, bus drop-off for the Boys and Girls Club, van drop-off and pick-up for Amoskeag Health, and connections to the existing sidewalk network within the Kelley Falls apartment complex. Other amenities include a community garden and outdoor play spaces for the Boys & Girls Club.
The first floor of the building will feature a community center with a food pantry, a resource center and meeting spaces.
The 2.5-acre lease area is within a now vacant portion of the larger, 19.6-acre property on Kimball Street. Currently there are 19 multi-family apartment buildings on the site.
In January 2023, the board of directors of the MSCC said its members voted unanimously following "several weeks of review, field research and measurements" to seek a new location for the proposed community center rather than proceed at a proposed site on Parkside Avenue and Blucher Street, near Gossler Park Elementary School and Parkside Middle School.
Community center leaders had promised that an existing community food garden and open green space would remain a part of the project if it moved forward. A review of the land determined space to be insufficient, without either scaling back the project or impacting the area's current use.
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