Uncertain future for Five Towns Community Center in Lawrence
As the expiration date of the Five Towns Community Center’s lease with Nassau County approaches, it remains unclear what will become of the 5.7-acre-site in Lawrence.
Gwynn Campbell, president of the community center’s board of directors, was informed in a letter obtained by the Herald that the county will take possession of the property, at 270 Lawrence Ave., which it has leased to the center for 50 years, on the lease’s expiration date, July 3.
“Thank you and the Five Towns Community Center Board for your years of service at the Premises,” Kevin Walsh, the county’s chief real estate negotiator and special counsel, wrote in the letter, which was sent by certified mail and email on June 17. “As you know, the Lease between the county of Nassau, as Landlord (the “County”) and Five Towns Community Center Inc. as Tenant (“Five Towns”) expires on July 3. Please be advised that the county shall take back possession of the Premises on such date.”
The letter also states that the county Department of Public Works will do a final walk-through on the surrender date.
Asked about the letter, Campbell responded in an email, “We have not heard any final decisions on the lease,” and added that there is a need for the center to stay in the community.
The county issued a request for proposal for the facility in January 2023, seeking people or entities to lease the property to provide youth-oriented activities.
The Marion & Aaron Gural JCC, in Cedarhurst, submitted a proposal in March 2023.
“Unfortunately I don’t have any updates to share,” Stacey Feldman, executive director of the Gural JCC, wrote in an email on Sunday.
Feldman did not share the details of the Gural JCC’s proposal, but said they had not changed since it was submitted. The JCC hoped “to provide the Five Towns Community Center a beautiful self-contained renovated space of approximately 7,500-square-feet with its own main entrance and lobby,” it stated in a letter last year. “This would ensure that the Five Towns Community Center continues to operate independently and provide the programs and services they currently offer to the community.”
The Lawrence school district also submitted a proposal for the center.
“My understanding is that the county has not moved forward on any of the proposals that they received pursuant to their RFP,” Lawrence Board of Education President Murray Forman told the Herald last week. “We are awaiting further guidance.”
Campbell said that Aid to the Foreign Born; the community center’s food pantry; the Head Start program, which provides services for low-income families; the center’s summer camp and other services remain available at this time, per Campbell’s June 20 email.
“You cannot imagine the disappointment I would feel for our community,” Campbell said of the center’s potential closing. “I want to remain hopeful as best I can.”
She said that in addition to not hearing anything about the county taking back the property, she has tried to schedule a meeting with county representatives about the future of the center, but has received no response.
Sasha Young, the founder of Gammy’s Pantry, stepped down from her position at the center earlier this year, after being informed that the pantry must cease operations, she said.
Have an opinion on what could or
should be done with the Five Towns
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