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Numerous school building upgrades under way in Norwalk
NORWALK — Unexpecting eyes passing West Rocks Middle School on Monday afternoon might have been taken aback to see the entire face of the south wing stripped away, leaving a clear view into the building’s interior.
But district officials say not to worry as the deconstruction of the building’s two-story wall of windows is a part of the first phase of a windows and door replacement project slated to take place at the school over the course of this and the following summer.
The construction project is just one of more than a dozen happening this summer across Norwalk Public Schools before even larger projects take place in the coming years, including the construction of the Ponus Ridge Magnet School and South Norwalk School campuses.
Projects under way this summer range from the West Rocks windows and doors replacement to removal and replacement of asbestos floor tiling at Cranbury Elementary School to refurbishment of Rowayton Elementary School’s cafetorium
“These projects are part of the school repairs outlined in the ‘Modern Schools for a Growing City’ school facilities master plan, which included repairs and maintenance for every school.” said Brenda Wilcox Williams, spokeswoman for Norwalk Public Schools.
The project at West Rocks Middle School will see new windows and doors across the front half of the school by the start of the upcoming school year. The project will finish in a second phase slated to take place next summer.
The total cost for the project is $3.5 million. That price tag doubled from original projections after the discovery of PCBs, an existing steel window wall system and the need to include a vestibule at the main entry due to new regulatory safety and environmental standards.
The construction started June 15 and so far, “Everything is going according to schedule — with a lot of work,” said Alan Lo, building and facilities manager for the city of Norwalk.
Other school construction projects happening this summer include:
Installation of a large door to separate the stage from the cafetorium at Cranbury Elementary School. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Toelles Road grade crossing in Wallingford to close this weekend
WALLINGFORD — The Toelles Road railroad crossing will close to vehicle traffic this weekend for track construction and road work.
The crossing is expected to close Friday at 6 p.m. and reopen Monday at 5 p.m.
“Due to the amount of work needed at this crossing, weekend hours are necessary and it is anticipated that this will be the only crossing requiring weekend hours,” the state Department of Transportation said in a statement.Residents and motorists can expect construction noise and temporary lighting while work is underway, according to the DOT. Detours will be in place prior to the closure.
A temporary grade crossing located 100 feet north of the existing grade crossing will be made available for emergency vehicles.
Transformation of the former site of The Hartford complex on Hopmeadow Street into residential housing, office space and an assisted living facility may begin soon.
Development of The Ridge at Talcott Mountain, a multi-use complex on a 40-acre portion of land owned by the Silverman Group, is expected to begin in "mid-to-late summer" according to Simsbury Director of Planning and Community Development James Rabbitt. The Silverman Group, a New Jersey-based property management group, wrote in a statement the project will include 280 residential units, commercial, office and assisted living spaces. Chicago-based property group CA Ventures will manage the assisted living spaces.
"We are eager and proud to deliver irreplaceable housing options to the Greater Hartford area with some of the most impressive river and mountain views in the Northeast," the statement reads.
The developers will be able to begin work pending additional permits from the Office of the State Traffic Administration and the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. From there, the developers will begin construction and work until the project is complete, Rabbitt said.
"From our perspective, that's good news for the community because [the construction] will not be broken up into phases," he said.Rabbitt said the town reached out to the Silverman Group to consider nearby property owners in their development plans, including residents of the Riverwalk Properties, a collection of 35 condominiums adjacent to the new development site.
"They worked closely with them and their landscape architect, and it's my understanding they're in the process of working out an arrangement where additional landscaping will occur on Riverwalk's property, as well as additional landscaping that we've required internal to the site on Silverman's property," said Rabbitt.
He said he understands the concern for the town as well as Riverwalk residents knowing that their open view of the ridgeline would change after construction of the site. The 40-acre field, however, was previously zoned for development while owned by The Hartford. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE