CHESHIRE — A new middle school is the first priority in a far-reaching initiative to renovate and replace existing school buildings.
The sweeping plan, commissioned and approved by the Board of Education, charts a reorganization and rebuilding of town schools that would be completed in about 15 years. The total projected cost is more than $400 million, with the town hoping much of the funding will come from the state.
The plan is also intended to allow Cheshire to keep pace with surrounding towns like Southington and Meriden, which have renovated or rebuilt schools recently.
The board unanimously adopted the plan presented by consultant Perkins Eastman at a meeting two weeks ago.
Board chairwoman Cathy Hellreich said she hopes to find a location for the new Dodd Middle School by June, the deadline for requesting state construction aid.
The new building would be big enough to include sixth graders, who currently attend elementary schools.
“Our sixth graders will have so much more available to them,” Hellreich said.
Hellreich called the timeline for finding a new location “ambitious.”
The plan adopted by the board starts with the middle school, allowing Darcy School to close. It also calls for renovations to Norton and Doolittle schools. Following those renovations, the town would build a new high school, renovate Highland School and consider what to do with Chapman School. Humiston School would also be closed.
While board members supported that plan, it can be adjusted.
“We aren’t tied into something, we can change, we can adapt,” Hellreich said.
Spending will have to be approved at referendum. Hellreich said new buildings would come with reduced maintenance costs. She also feels property values are partially tied to the modernization of school buildings.
Town Council Chairman Rob Oris said any school plan would have to be funded in a fiscally responsible manner. He wants to see savings projections and costs before passing judgments.
“It’s a heavy lift for the community from a tax perspective,” Oris said. “I will be particularly concerned about the fiscal prudence of this plan.” Schools do need to be modernized, Oris said, adding that maintenance costs have increased in older buildings. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Under the memorandum of understanding, Groton would give the state a 20-acre property known as Boulder Heights, off the end of Colver Avenue, for open space and future recreational fields. In exchange, the town would be allowed to build the middle school on the Merritt property, adjacent to Robert E. Fitch High School.
The agreement comes at a crucial time, as taxpayers vote Nov. 8 on a $184.5 million referendum to build a new middle school on the property. The school construction program would also convert the town's two existing middle schools into renovated elementary schools and close three of Groton's oldest school facilities. Town and school officials have said the plan could not go forward without state approval of a land swap.
The Boulder Heights property has some trails, he said. The town would have to put up signs up along the trail route and within two years install a small parking area and begin the planning process for developing future recreational fields, Schain said. The actual land transfer would take place after the referendum, if it passes, he said.
"If the referendum passes it's all set to go," he said.
The Merritt property includes two parcels, the largest of which was purchased using a grant from the state's Outdoor Recreation Fund Project.
Since Groton bought the land from Mary S. Merritt in 1989 with the restriction that it be used for "conservation, recreation and open space," the town had to offer the state an alternative property for future recreation to build on the Merritt property.
"I know that the town officials and the state DEEP have been working on this arrangement for months, actually," Superintendent Michael Graner said. "And for me it is the best news I've heard in a long time, because it opens the door for us to pursue the campus idea that we envisioned a year and a half ago."
The plan is for the middle school to be built next to the high school so teachers may go back and forth between the two schools. The school board ultimately hopes to expand the high school's International Baccalaureate program, which combines rigorous academics with an awareness of global issues, Graner said.
The agreement eliminates the question of whether the property next to Fitch High School may be used, said Craig Koehler, co-chair of the Groton Schools 2020 political action committee, which supports the plan. The agreement should alleviate concerns about the Merritt property, he said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Navy commits $5.4M to pier reconstruction project at Groton sub base
Groton — The Navy has committed $5.4 million for design and planning work to replace Pier 32, one of 11 operational piers at the Naval Submarine Base, which is home to 15 nuclear attack submarines.
The plan is to demolish Pier 32 and construct a wider, longer pier in its place. The project is expected to include dredging of the navigation channel in the Thames River.
A fish and marine mammal survey is underway in the Thames River in preparation for the pier-reconstruction project, which is part of a larger infrastructure development plan for the base, dubbed the Groton 2025 plan.
A Navy contractor recently placed eight monitoring buoys in the river to collect data on endangered Atlantic sturgeon — a 2- to 3-year-old tagged sturgeon was found swimming in the river near the base in June — and other species. The monitoring will take place over the next two years.
If sturgeon or seals are found, that could impact the construction timeline for the pier project.
Navy officials have declined to discuss the project since it has not been fully funded. The service is working on its Program Objective Memorandum — its plan for how it would like to allocate resources for various programs — for fiscal year 2018.
The $5.4 million came from the Navy's architectural and engineering account, over which it has some power to allocate funding on its own in support of future military construction projects.
U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, and U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., hailed news of the Navy's commitment in releases put out by their offices last week.
Since the spring of 2014, more than $155 million in both federal and state funds has been invested in the base, according to Courtney's office. The release also states that additional funding for construction of the new pier is expected in the future, and that "additional upgrades to other piers may be needed to accommodate the new generation of Virginia-class submarines."
Starting in 2019, an added 80- to 85-foot section called the Virginia Payload Module will be incorporated on Virginia-class submarines to give them additional payload capacity.
In a joint release from Blumenthal and Murphy, the senators said the funding is "a critical investment in our submarine force, and yet another example of the U.S. Navy's commitment to the long-term future of America's first and finest submarine base."
The senators pledged to continue working with officials at the base and the defense department to "ensure that we continue making the necessary investments in our vital undersea capabilities, which are not only home-ported, but built in Connecticut."
North Haven moves forward with overhaul of police department
NORTH HAVEN >> Work is expected to begin in the coming months on a multi-million renovation project at the North Haven Police Department that will both upgrade the facility and its communication system.
Last week, residents approved spending $13.3 million on the renovation to the building and another $4 million to replace its public safety communication system that is badly out of date, according to officials.With a vote of 749 in favor of the bonding to 319 against, the referendum passed by a more than 70 percent margin, First Selectman Michael Freda said.“The referendum passed by 70.3 percent,” he said. “I did a robocall to 8,251 homes reminding residents to vote and we had a 7 percent turnout, which is within the lower ranges of what most referendums turnout to be.” Usually, referendum turnouts average between 5 to 15 percent, he said. “Nevertheless, we are going to be moving forward.” Over the past two and a half months, both Police Chief Thomas McLaughlin and Deputy Chief Jonathan Mulhern hosted several public forums to update the public about the problems within the police department building.
“The problems we have are two-fold: the building is antiquated and in great decline and decay in the inside, though the structure on the outside is still very firm and secure,” Freda said. “The building was built in 1965 so it’s 51 years old and we are at a point where we have to identify the decaying infrastructure and put a plan together to improve it because by ignoring it, it’s going to increase the cost in the coming years.” In addition to the building itself, the communications system is dangerously out of date and it’s becoming very difficult to make repairs because parts aren’t available, McLaughlin said. For years, they have been using used parts, but those now are becoming harder to find. “The upgrade that was passed as part of the referendum is going to be designed to enhance public safety by delivering a more robust radio communication system product that will not only continue to tie in public safety in terms of police and fire, but also will tie in our North Haven public school system, and that is a critical part of this,” Freda said “By tying in the school system, that gives a more direct access from a communication standpoint to our police department ,which is designed to decrease response times in the event that there is a situation within any of our schools. The next step is to go out to bid, Freda said. “Our town attorney, who is one of the foremost construction experts in the state, will be working with our director of finance, the police chief and the deputy chief,” he said. “Depending upon how quickly the bids come back and what the weather looks like this winter and early spring, we will probably start construction of the renovation sometime late winter or early spring.” CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Part of Route 8 in Litchfield, Harwinton to be shut down for Friday night construction
LITCHFIELD >> If you’re planning to take Route 8 Friday night in Litchfield or Harwinton, budget some extra time; you’ll probably be in for some big changes. Weather permitting, parts of the highway will be shut down from 9 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday as crews work on the bridge that runs over the Naugatuck River about a mile and a half south of Route 118, state police said Monday on Twitter. On the northbound side, traffic will be detoured off at Exit 38 in Thomaston. Drivers will then take Route 254 north to Litchfield. They will then take Route 118 east to Exit 42 in Litchfield, where they can get back on Route 8.
Police said northbound Exits 38, 39, 40 and 41 will be closed during the bridge work. On the southbound side, traffic will be detoured off at Exit 42 in Litchfield. Drivers will then take Route 118 west to Litchfield. They will then take Route 254 south to Exit 38 in Thomaston, where they can get back on Route 8. But police said only southbound Exit 42 will be closed during the roadwork. If it rains Friday, the work is slated to happen Saturday with similar times and closure locations.