Greenwich school board to study latest plans for a new Central Middle School — all 40 pages of it
Annelise Hanshaw
GREENWICH — As part of the first step toward creating a new
Central Middle School, Greenwich’s school board will take another look at
the latest
40-page draft of educational specifications for the new building
during a special virtual meeting Friday morning.
The educational specifications, created by Constructions
Solutions Group, provide the building’s requirements for the future architect.
Design is not in the ed spec’s scope, but this step addresses spatial concerns
and major features.
Educational specifications are submitted to the state to
apply for the reimbursement grant. New construction, rather than renovation, is
eligible for a maximum of only 10 percent reimbursement; projects that build
larger than enrollment requires receive less.
Friday’s meeting, which begins at 9 a.m., is the Board of
Education’s second public meeting with its consultants at CSG. The first
brought concerns about the size
of the building, traffic and nonbinary bathrooms.
The latest draft outlines a 104,200 square-foot school
building, which would accommodate 511 students, and leaves the option for adding
the Greenwich Public Schools’ central office — although the draft says
the possibility “is not without challenges.”
“It is difficult to determine if, or how this could be done
within the limited area of the existing school property. If the Board of
Education decides to consider it then a test fit should be conducted to see if
it could work,” the specifications say. “In addition, the State of Connecticut
requires a separate grant application and educational specifications to be
submitted to approve such a request.”
First Selectman Fred Camillo has been vocal about his intention
to move the Board of Education out of the Havemeyer Building, should
the board agree, but he has not pinpointed an alternative location for the 100
central office employees.
To be demolished
The educational specifications explain to the state why the
district is choosing to start with a new building and raze the current one in a
section called “Rationale for the Project.”
The document’s authors describe the current building’s “thin
masonry” as in fair to poor condition, “with some significant structural
issues.”
Diversified Technology Consultants pinpointed these concerns
in an 80-page
report late January. The town’s building department verified DTC’s
findings during a walk-through and closed
the building Feb. 4.
The district installed scaffolding and cleared
inspection to reopen two weeks later for students and staff.
“The infrastructure and most of the building’s original
components are in poor condition,” the educational specifications say. “This
includes a majority of the programmatic spaces which are lacking in fundamental
requirements such as security, technology, power distribution and quality
building controls to regulate temperature and air quality.”
Western Middle School does not have a secure building
vestibule, nor a set of two locking doors at the entry. After the mass shooting
at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown in 2012, Connecticut placed new
requirements on schools to bolster their security.
The draft also deems the current Western Middle School as
unfit for retrofitting. With the mid-century structure’s low ceilings, large
windows and modern duct work are not possible, it says.
Its classrooms are 650 square feet, whereas a classroom with
an average occupancy of 24 students is required to have 800 square feet in
modern standards, it says.
The mechanical systems and plumbing need replacing, a pricey
upgrade the board could forgo if a new structure is built, the draft says.
Plan for the future
The new building would accommodate 511 students, which is
the number projected for the next school year and the largest enrollment number
within eight years from the date the grant application should be submitted, the
specifications say.
During the last meeting with consultants, school board
members questioned whether the middle school could be built larger than current
projections — suggesting that redistricting could be a solution to overcrowding
on other campuses.
These ideas are not presented in the draft, which has
enlarged only one space — the auditorium, to allow for the large Representative
Town Meeting to gather there and for other community uses. The new auditorium
would be the same size as the current one, with a minimum of 550 seats.
A small detail of the plan drew questions during the May 10
school board meeting: nonbinary bathrooms. School board members Joe Kelly and
Karen Kowalski said people at a political event asked them why the educational
specifications included three nonbinary bathrooms.
They asked whether the nonbinary bathrooms were required.
CSG’s chief operating officer Roger LaFleur said he was not certain.
The three 50-square-foot bathrooms remain on the new draft
of the educational specifications — this time labeled “single-stall toilets.”
The layout of the building is loosely described in the
specifications, allowing the future architect creativity while keeping Central
Middle School’s ethos of project-based, cross-disciplinary learning.
To facilitate this hands-on style, the media center would be
the center of the school and contain a 400-square-foot maker space for
“creative problem-solvers.”
The library would “continue to be where teachers encourage
students to develop a passion for reading” with room for 10,000 to 15,000
books, the draft says. But technology also steps into the space with
touchscreens, a 100-square-foot media production room, and a room dedicated to
IT and Chromebook repair.
Community outreach
The district held
a community information session in April to give an overview
of the ed spec process and hear ideas.
Parents, neighbors and other community members gave their
concerns on a number of elements, with many expressing concerns about traffic.
The specifications document their input.
“It was expressed that there already exist some problems
with the current design and volume of traffic at certain times of the day. It
is imperative that any future design must not exacerbate the issue,” the draft
says. “In fact, design professionals should use this as an opportunity to
improve traffic patterns such that they have a less deleterious effect on the
local neighbors.”
Attendees of the April meeting noted a poor turnout. School
board member Joe Kelly repeated this observation during meetings.
The district sent a survey to families to provide input on
the educational specifications, which will remain open until the board approves
a draft. Community members can share their thoughts at surveymonkey.com/r/K99FKVF.
Friday’s meeting is only a discussion, and the board can’t
vote on the draft yet.
Wilton Center pedestrian bridge construction to likely start soon
WILTON — With summer here, town officials are hopeful that
the foundation of the long-discussed pedestrian bridge can soon be built and
the rest of the work can commence.
“The key is to get out of the ground,” DPW Head Frank
Smeriglio recently told the Board of Selectmen in regards to the timetable for
a pedestrian bridge linking Wilton Center to the Wilton Metro-North train
station.
Smeriglio said the bridge will feature handicap accessible
ramps on both sides, have lighting for commuters coming home and pedestrians walking
at night, and will be 10 feet wide. It will stretch from the train station in
Merwin Meadows, across the Norwalk River.
While a timetable hasn’t been firmly established, selectmen
agreed to move into contracts with both Dayton Construction, subject to state
Department of Transportation approval, and with Tighe and Bond to oversee the
project.
The contract with Dayton, who will oversee the project, came
back at $1.18 million. Tighe and Bond’s contract totals $120,950. Smeriglio
told the selectman that the bid from Dayton came back at $29,000 more than
engineers anticipated. The other two bidders for the project came in slightly
higher than that, he said.
Because of that $29,000 increase, Smeriglio said the town
had to work with the Western Connecticut Council of Governments (WestCOG). The town
had received a $1.4 million grant to be put towards the construction
of the pedestrian bridge. That funding will come through a Local Transportation
Capital Improvement Program grant.
“We had to work with WestCOG to get that increase approved,”
Smeriglio said. After being approved by WestCOG, the town just awaits an
approval from the DOT to award the contract to Dayton. Smeriglio expects that
to take up to a week.
The hope is for the project to begin in short order.
The project is expected to take six months, according to
specifications the town included for the project and that have been adapted
into the Dayton contract. Smeriglio said in March that he
anticipated construction to start in the beginning part of this summer.
“So the contractor provided us with a schedule that says
they’ll get it done in six months,” Smeriglio said. “But really, you know,
anything can happen with delays in materials, but there is a big push to get
the foundation part of the bridge out of the ground in the summer because water
levels are low.”
First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice added that, if the
bridge isn’t started with ample time, construction could eventually be held up
by winter weather.
But, until the contract is signed, Smeriglio said it’s “hard
to say what the timeframe is.”
The project is anticipated to play a large role in the interconnectivity
of Wilton Center, which is currently undergoing
a full master plan process.
Torrington’s Prospect Street project ready to get underway
TORRINGTON — Nearly two years after a plan to reconstruct
Prospect Street was first was presented in a Zoom forum, the “facelift” project
is ready to get underway.
The project will include road reconstruction, including
paving, curbing, replacement of sidewalks and associated miscellaneous work,
intended to make the road safer for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. City
engineer Paul Kundzins first
presented the plan to the public in November 2020.
Town officials this week announced a schedule of road
closures and warnings to the public as work is set to begin June 13.
Improvements include new sidewalks and bicycle lanes in
wider areas of the roadway on the northern end near North Elm Street. The bumpy
pavement and sidewalks that have been patched and repaired repeatedly over the
past 10 years will be replaced, along with new granite curbing.
Prospect Street’s southern end is home to the Northwest
Connecticut YMCA, Vogel-Wetmore School, several churches and St. John Paul the
Great Academy, formerly known as St. Peter St. Francis School. Metered parking
is provided up to the Pearl Street intersection.
Past Pearl Street, no street parking is permitted, and
dedicated bike lanes will continue to North Elm Street. The sidewalk is being
eliminated on one side for the bike lane, but will remain on the other side of
the street.
The project is financed with $1 million from the state under
the Department of Transportation’s Local Transportation Capital Improvement
Program, and about $1 million from the city. Kundzins, former City Planner
Martin Connor, Economic Development Director Rista Malanca and engineers from
Milhone and McBroom developed the design.
“We’ve gone through many upgrades to Prospect Street — new
gas lines in 2016, drainage upgrades in 2017 and the water mains upgraded in
2017,” Kundzins said at the forum. “So we’re good to go — that’s why we waited
so long to rebuild the road.”
In November 2021, Yield Industries LLC, a Torrington-based
construction company, was
awarded the $1.86 million contract for the project by the City
Council.
The public works department said drivers should expect daily
traffic delays caused by alternating, one-way traffic and daily road closures,
which will allow local traffic only, as well as emergency vehicles.
No parking will be permitted at any time within the work
area. Metered, on-street parking will be limited, and any vehicles parked in
the no-parking zone will be ticketed and towed at the owner’s expense. Public
works officials advised drivers to find alternate routes.
The construction has been divided into three sections, and
will end with a complete repaving of Prospect Street. Section 1 will begin at
North Elm Street to North Street; Section 2, from Mason Street to Pearl Street;
and Section 3, from Pearl Street to North Street.
Judge orders proposed 142-unit Farmington apartment development back for consideration
ASuperior Court judge has sent a developer’s proposed
142-unit apartment development off Route 4 back to Farmington's Inland
Wetlands and Watercourses Commission for consideration.
Neighbors Douglas and Kimberly Zeytoonjian appealed the
commission’s approval of the project, located across from UConn Health Center.
They claimed the commission violated a state statute and the town’s zoning
regulations by failing to consider a “feasible and prudent alternative.”
They also said the hearing process lacked “fundamental
fairness” because the commission retracted an earlier finding that the project
was a “significant activity” under the zoning regulations, and that the
commission’s approval was “predetermined.”
The developer, 402 Farmington Ave. LLC, applied for a permit
to conduct regulated activities near wetlands on the 16.7-acre property, which
is mostly wooded. The project includes a stormwater management system and a
garage with 221 parking spaces.
The principal of 402 Farmington Ave. LLC is Farmington
resident and developer Geoffrey W. Sager.
The commission unanimously approved a wetlands permit for
the project on April 7, 2021.
On May 31, Superior Court Judge Matthew J. Budzik issued a memorandum
of decision dismissing the plaintiffs’ claims about “fundamental fairness” and
“predetermination.”
However, he found that the commission failed to consider
whether a “feasible and prudent alternative” exists.
The town’s zoning regulations require the commission to find
that a “feasible and prudent alternative” does not exist in order to issue a
wetlands permit.
The court remanded the application to the commission for a
determination on the “feasible and prudent alternative” issue.
Budzik said in his decision that the commission’s review of
the application was “quite diligent” and there was no evidence of a
fundamentally unfair hearing process or predetermination. Also, he said the
commission did not violate state statute.
Consideration and possible action based on the court’s
decision is on the agenda for the commission’s meeting at 7 p.m. June 15.
Proposed East Hartford apartment complex wins another approval. What comes next?
East Hartford planners on Wednesday gave a key approval for
redevelopment of a 26-acre property that could transform the Silver Lane
corridor and bring nearly 440 upscale apartments to town.
In a half-hour presentation, the partnership of Zelman Real
Estate and Jasko Development announced the enormous project will have eight
buildings with three and four stories along with a 10,000-square-foot amenities
center with gym and pool.
Brian Zelman, one of the partnership’s principals, said some
of the project’s theming will be a tribute to aviation in recognition of Pratt
& Whitney’s pivotal role in East Hartford’s history.
“We’ve been working on this project for 18 months. We’re
calling it Concourse Park — it embodies the excitement and possibilities of air
travel,” Zelman told the planning and zoning commission Wednesday night.
“There will be seven residential buildings with upwards of
439 apartments with a mix of studios, one- two- and three-bedrooms, and a very
large amenity building,” Zelman said.
“This is going to be a premiere live, work and play
community,” he said. “Lifestyles have really changed — people are spending more
time where they live. We’re trying to create a community, almost a village
feel.”
City leaders are looking for the redevelopment of the old
Showcase Cinemas site to spur a revival of the dilapidated Silver Lane
corridor. That section of town has been plagued in recent years by abandoned
buildings, shabby and half-vacant plazas and the retreat of commercial tenants
- most recently the closing of Stop & Shop.
Coupled with National Development’s recent proposal for 300
acres of the nearby Rentschler airfield, Mayor Michael Walsh and economic
development staffers believe the corridor can be revitalized in a matter of
only a few years. National Development plans to construct two large-scale
logistics centers along with a complex of research, development and
manufacturing facilities.
The Concourse Park property, about a mile from the National
Development site, would become what development partner Avner Krohn called the
best work-at-home residential project in central Connecticut.
“There will be work nooks built in in most apartments, over
2,000 square feet of office space, Zoom rooms, conference space. There’s going
to be the ability to work outside your apartment and inside. The clubhouse is
going to open to the outside, we’ll have community gardens,” Krohn told the
Courant before the meeting.
“And the gym is not going to be a token gym — you won’t need
to join another gym,” Krohn said.
Designers are working with Eversource and solar consultants
to make the buildings as energy efficient as possible, and the developers are
examining how to connect Concourse Park to the fiber optic network that SiFi
Networks is constructing.
The commission on Wednesday night questioned Zelman about
wetlands, open space and traffic concerns, but ultimately agreed to bring those
issues up when the company submits a detailed site plan for approval.
Commissioners approved changing the property’s zoning from business to planned
development district, which was essential for the project to advance.
Zelman and Krohn will next seek approval from the wetlands
commission. If there are no significant delays, construction could begin this
fall and conclude in late 2024, they said.
Engineer Kevin Solli told the commission that the project
will have 872 parking spaces, some with garages or carports. There will be
extensive landscaping along with a network of walking paths, wide sidewalks and
bike racks, he said.
Zelman said most tenants will likely have dogs, and
Concourse Park will have a substantial dog park.
Monroe Tractor Adds Jason Falcone to Connecticut's South Windsor Product Support Team
Jason Falcone has been named Monroe
Tractor's product support representative to cover Connecticut's Fairfield,
New Haven, Middlesex and New London counties.
Falcone's career began as a fabricator/welder, then as a
service technician, where he worked his way to lead technician for a local
construction company. Understanding and enjoying the industry, he transitioned
to inside sales for the past two years before joining Monroe Tractor.
Falcone will be responsible for helping increase the profit
and productivity of each customer by offering them parts and service support
and providing customers with one-stop shopping for all their equipment needs.
"Much of my experience comes from the construction
industry, mostly in equipment management. Having spent a few years in the field
as a lead technician and inside as an equipment sales representative, I
understand the nuances of the construction world. I enjoy working in this
industry, and I'm looking forward to great success while keeping customers up
to date with the wide span of parts and services Monroe offers," said
Falcone.
"Jason's experience and positive attitude toward the
construction industry, his mechanical and equipment sales knowledge, and
hands-on work will be a great asset to our product support team," said
Rick Bisesto, branch manager. "With his relationship-building skills,
Jason will help our customers realize the breadth of service we offer with our
top-notch service and parts departments. The entire team welcomes Jason, and I
look forward to watching him grow with our South Windsor team."
For more information, visit www.monroetractor.com.