Committee recommends naming Norwalk community room for Ernie Dumas after public hearing

The Land Use and Building Management Committee voted unanimously April 1 to recommend that the newly renovated community room at the Norwalk Community Recreation Center be named in honor of longtime community advocate Ernie Dumas.

The item opened with a public hearing in which Robert Sters, speaking on behalf of the Dumas family and the parks committee, summarized Dumas's civic activities and said the room would be “deserving of the person that will work the most in that area.” Residents offered personal recollections. Diane Laurachella, who identified herself as a co‑founder of South Norwalk Citizens for Justice, said she helped organize neighborhood efforts with Dumas and recommended the naming, calling him the kind of leader who “walked the walk and talked the talk.”

Committee members said the recommendation would be forwarded to the Common Council for final approval; staff noted the next step is a council vote and then a ceremony, likely coordinated with the family. The committee record shows the parks committee brought the nomination forward; staff asked that the city coordinate timing around family availability and the building’s conditional certificate of occupancy.

The committee’s vote does not itself finalize the renaming. The recommendation will appear on the Common Council agenda in two weeks for final action.