Yonkers Contracting Leads $77M Project to Replace Stamford Parking Garage
IRWIN RAPOPORT
Yonkers Contracting Company Inc. started work on the Connecticut Department of Transportation's (CTDOT) $77.2 million, design-build Stamford Station Parking Garage project in September 2021 to provide additional parking via a new facility and to improve services at the train station. The project is expected to be delivered this August.
The 928-space, seven-and-a-half level parking garage is located on South State Street in Stamford. It includes a 320-ft. pedestrian bridge over Washington Boulevard connecting the garage to the Stamford Transportation Center (STC), elevators and stairs connecting the garage to the Track 5 platform, 38 electric vehicle parking spaces, more than 100 bike storage spaces, a centralized STC parking management space and customer counter, a unique architectural design and façade lighting program, building-integrated photovoltaics for on-site energy production, minor STC renovations at the pedestrian bridge connection, pedestrian crossing improvements at South State Street and Washington Boulevard and connectivity to the planned Mill River Greenway.
The project, financed 100 percent by the State of Connecticut, is being completed under CTDOT's Alternative Project Delivery program.
"The project is replacing the aging original parking garage structure for the STC [currently located on Station Place] with a low maintenance, long service life facility that meets the demand for state-owned commuter parking spaces located proximate to the STC," said Michael Mendick, CCM, district engineer, CTDOT. "It addresses the poor condition and continued degradation of the original garage structure that precipitated the closing of two levels of the garage to traffic and parking; satisfies existing commuter parking demands; replaces the loss of private commuter parking supply for the STC with state-owned and maintained parking spaces that provide similar convenience and commuter amenity as the existing private parking facilities; and meets customer expectations for availability, accessibility, and convenience of commuter parking accommodations of the STC."
The new garage will provide a net increase of approximately 600 state-owned spaces following the demolition of the original 1987 garage.
Parking has been maintained in the original parking garage structure throughout construction of the new to help minimize commuter parking impacts.
"The original garage will be closed upon completion of the proposed garage and will be demolished in the future under a separate construction contract," said Mendick. "The department previously pursued a new parking project for the STC as part of a transit-oriented development [TOD]. The current project is not a TOD project."
Traffic-wise, the construction has led to temporary detours and short-term lane closures to facilitate operations.
The rectangular-shaped concrete garage is adjacent to the highway. As of February, for the garage itself, the precast concrete erection is complete; and structural steel installation for the elevators, support steel installation for the architectural facade, office space construction, building systems installations and site work are on-going.
For the pedestrian bridge, pier construction is complete, steel structure is being fabricated off site, and the erection of the steel structure is planned to begin in May. Station renovations are ongoing.
Development of the design-build project, via Walker Consultants, began in June 2021.
"Some of the engineering challenges were the geotechnical and ground conditions," said Tim Caulfield, Yonkers project manager. "The foundations had to be into rock, but the rock elevations varied from 40 feet deep on the west side to 6 feet deep on the east side. The challenge was coming up with the correct foundation design. There was no blasting. We drilled 42-inch diameter shafts through earth and rock. In some areas, we put the foundation directly on the rock without drilling into it. Basically, the garage has two different foundation designs."
The garage, which has an anticipated lifespan of 75 years, consists mostly of precast concrete panels, and was designed to minimize any cast-in-place concrete.
"We are using GRFC panels at the three stair towers, glass on the one elevator tower and metal baskets around the rest of the garage to complete the architectural look," said Caulfield.
With six months to go to completion, the location of the work site remains a challenge.
"The northside is adjacent to I-95, one of the busiest highways in the country," said Caulfield. "And on the southside is the railroad that serves one of the busiest train stations in the country. If that's not enough, there is an active roadway and sidewalk underneath the construction. There's no room to store material or much of anything. The project is very close on schedule and the DOT understands our work conditions."
Utilities have been an issue.
"We had to relocate every existing utility within the footprint of the garage, including water, sewer, fiber optics," said Caulfield. "We also had to relocate the storm drain system including a five-foot diameter main truckline that was 25 feet below street elevation."
Day shifts are the norm, with some work being done on Saturdays.
The garage itself, which has been put together over 16 weeks, required approximately 800 pieces of precast concrete. They were delivered by truck and lifted and placed using a 330-ton capacity crane.
"They were connected by welding metal plates together and holes for anchor bolts," said Caulfield. "But precast can't solve all the issues. The garage had to be smooth to drive on and also for rainwater to be controlled into the drainage system."
Structural steel was installed for the elevator shaft and it has been painted with fire-resistant paint.
"We are in the process of installing glass and the roof at the elevator tower," said Caulfield. "The challenge of the shaft was building within a short distance of the railroad's electrical power infrastructure. We're working with the railroad and informing it of our schedule. On many occasions, they would shut the power in those areas so we could work. We have very good relations with the Metro North Railroad."
Equipment used for the installation of the garage includes excavators, front-end loaders, excavators and dozers, mostly Cat models.
The installation of the support steel installation for the architectural facade is ongoing, but the location presents challenges, including the road leading to the garage.
"It is very difficult to install the architectural treatment around the building," said Caulfield. "It's hard to get cranes and other pieces of equipment in close proximity to the work. So instead, we chose mini-cranes that go on the roof of the garage. We also use the garage roof as an area to store material."
The new office space is located on the ground floor of the garage. Electrical, plumbing, HVAC and other services are being installed now.
"This work should be completed in the next few months," said Caulfield.
The installation of the pedestrian bridge should be finished by late June. The pier construction was completed in January.
"There are three cast-in-place piers," said Caulfield. "We placed the concrete with the anchor bolts placed at the correct elevations. The bridge is about 320 feet long and it's going to come in six large pieces. Blue Atlantic from Massachusetts is currently fabricating and delivering the bridge. A crane will set each piece and then it will be connected together as we erect it."
It should take a week to build the bridge, with the pieces shipped and lifted immediately.
The Yonkers management team is working with many partners.
"Our design firm has a lot of people working on the project," said Caulfield. "We have a lot of people from the engineering firm on site. Our staff has worked on many projects. The efforts of the crews are good. The guys in the field are union employees and we work with the unions for the laborers, carpenters, iron workers and operating engineers. We have our engineers working with the crews and our staff procures the materials and has them delivered. It requires a lot of coordination to build a facility like this."
Peak days have approximately 50 people on site, with major subcontractors being McPhee Electric for all the electrical work, MJ Daly for the plumbing and HVAC work and Blakeslee for precasting and erecting the garage structure.
Work activities should generate 25,000 tons of earth and rock. For the most part, materials cannot be recycled on site.
"Some of the earth that is excavated goes to a temporary stockpile off site where it is tested," said Caulfield. "Whether it is contaminated, hazardous or non-hazardous, it goes to licensed facilities that handle it."
In terms of new materials, 20,000 cu. yds. of concrete, 1,000 tons of steel, 3,000 tons of asphalt and 5,000 tons of subbase will be used.
Additional equipment being used includes dirt and asphalt rollers, asphalt paving machines, mostly manufactured by Cat.
"We have our own mechanic that is on site every day," said Caulfield. "If we are using excavators or cranes and something goes wrong, the mechanic is there to fix it. The crews don't have a lot of down time. Every piece of equipment is checked daily. For the most part we use our own equipment."
Yonkers purchases and rents equipment from dealerships such as H.O. Penn in New York.
"They are always ready to rent or sell us any piece of equipment that we need," said Caulfield. "A lot of times on a construction site, early on, you don't know when the need arises for a specific piece of equipment that will be right for the job." CEG
Works begins on new Wallingford Police station
Kate Ramunni
WALLINGFORD — Work started recently to transform the former 3M office building at 100 Barnes Road into the town’s new police station.
“They have started demolition on the interior,” said Town Council Chairman Vincent Cervoni, who also sits on the Police Station Steering Committee. “They’re effectively going to the studs on the inside and they’re going to take down as many walls as they can because it’s going to be walled out differently.”
The town paid $1.8 million for the almost 10-acre property in July 2021. As an office building, it included a gym, a conference facility and a cafeteria. The total bonded for the purchase was $3.3 million, which included architectural and engineering design studies on the renovation.
When completed, the department will move into the new space, vacating its current home in the old Armory building at 135 North Main St. That building was converted into a police station in 1986. The 28,000-square-foot building is almost half of the space that will be available in the Barnes Road building.
In January, the Town Council approved $34 million in bonding, which included the initial $3.3 million for the building, for the project. Initially, before the pandemic, that cost was estimated to be about $24 million, but over the last several years prices have skyrocketed due to supply chain issues, as well as gas price increases due to domestic supply issues and the Ukraine war. That forced the committee to re-evaluate its budget and adjust it for today's costs.
The bonding does not include the cost for installation of a communications system at the new station. Initially it was believed that an antenna would be able to be installed on the building’s roof, but later it was learned that a communications tower near the building would be needed. It’s still not determined what that resolution will be, Mayor William Dickinson said.
“That’s still in process,” he said. “We’re getting advice from several companies and we'll be moving forward with that. We have to identify what the costs are going to be with that.”
It’s been estimated that that cost will be $1.5 million, which will have to be approved by the council.
The building is expected to be completed by July 2024. There already have been suggestions as to what will next happen to the armory building after the police department moves out.
“To some extent there have been some discussions about it,” Cervoni said. “The future options include repurposing it for town uses or selling it on the open market.”
The Board of Education expressed interest in moving its Central Offices there, as well as its Adult Education program currently housed at the former train station downtown.
“Right now the adult ed program is in the old train station, and this building is easily at least twice the size of that,” Cervoni said. “It would be nice if we could save the board some rent money because they’re paying rent for Central Office space.”
Stratford, Bridgeport track upgrades could allow trains to hit 90 mph
Richard Chumney
STRATFORD — The state Department of Transportation plans to replace a three-mile stretch of track along Metro-North’s New Haven line as part of a multi-billion-dollar effort to improve commuter rail service across the state.
The construction work, which is expected to kick off in the spring of 2025, will increase the maximum speed trains are able to travel between Bridgeport and Stratford from 70 mph to 90 mph, according to a press release from the transportation department.
Officials hope the upgrades will help the state reach Gov. Ned Lamont’s ambitious goal of shaving 25 minutes off the time it takes to travel between New Haven and New York City by 2035.
“This unique project is aimed at improving the safety and speed of Connecticut’s rail system,” Haresh Dholakia, a transportation department engineer who is overseeing the project, said in a statement.
The department will hold a public information meeting about the planned upgrades at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25 at Stratford Town Hall. The meeting, which will include an overview of the project and a Q&A session, will also be streamed online.
The project represents the first stage of “Time For CT” — a statewide program that aims to speed-up rail service, create thousands of construction jobs and help the environment by getting cars off roads. State officials have said much of the $8 billion to $10 billion needed to fund the years-long effort will come from the federal government, but will also include state money.
In Stratford, the track upgrades are expected to cost up to $385 million, according to department documents. The state has requested the federal government provide $231 million in infrastructure grants for the project, but have not yet been awarded the funding.
The project will largely consist of reconstructing the tracks to improve the railway’s curvature, which in turn will allow trains to travel up to 90 mph. Crews will also upgrade an existing interlocking and build a new one to allow for high-speed track changes.
Additionally, the transportation department plans to rebuild eight aging rail bridges that pass over streets using what officials described as “accelerated construction techniques.” The bridges are located at Bishop Avenue, Bruce Avenue, West Broad Street, King Street, Main Street, Longbrook Avenue and East Main Street.
Reached by phone Wednesday, Dholakia said that the construction work is not expected to cause any serious service disruptions while the upgrades are being made. He noted Metro-North is served by two tracks, which will allow crews to work on the project without halting rail traffic.
“We will construct it in stages,” Dholakia said.
Luther Turmelle
BRANFORD — A Minnesota-based company is working with a Connecticut developer to create a sprawling biotech and life sciences park in Branford on a 120-acre site off the Exit 56 interchange, town and company officials announced Thursday.
Plans for HealthTech Park include more than 500,000 square feet of laboratory space, research and development facilities for life sciences companies and some high-tech manufacturing related to the health care sector, according to Perry Maresca, Branford's economic and business development manager. The sprawling healthcare campus, which would be sandwiched between Route 1 and Interstate 95, could also include a medical facility.
Plans for the project were jointly announced by town officials and developers Minnesota-based Ryan Companies and Henrich Partners LLC of Stamford. The project is being developed on land that includes the former Bittersweet Farm and is owned by Hamden-based Belfonti Companies LLC and A. Secondino & Son of Branford.
"What we’re looking to develop on this site is extremely unique," said Connor Lewis, vice president of real estate development for Ryan. "HealthTech Park will shine as a beacon for the Town of Branford and Connecticut, as well as across the country as a leading example of a health care and life sciences-centric development."
Lewis said, "There is a significant focus on embracing the natural elements of the property —preserving the trees, streams, views — to create a place where businesses can thrive within islands of nature." He said there is no timeline for when the project might start, partly because the company hasn't submitted any plans to town zoning officials.
Lewis said the project's first two phases involve developing buildings of between 100,000 and 150,000 square feet, depending on the needs of tenants the company is negotiating with. As currently envisioned, both buildings would be three or four stories tall, he said.
Town officials "have been in the loop" regarding the company's interest in the property for about a year, Lewis said.
"We're looking for anchor tenants for each of the buildings," he said. "Our focus is on the health care, life sciences, medical device and pharmaceutical sectors. We know the need in the life science market is extremely high; I think I could lease one building out right now if we went hard at it."
Lewis said the site is attractive in part because of the pool of highly educated health sciences workers in the area.
"It just blows me away how much of a hub it is for brilliant people," he said. "At the same time, it's got the advantage of being between New York and Boston. You're not bogged down because you're not building in a metropolis, where construction costs are so much higher."
Jamie Cosgrove, Branford's first selectman, said the town "has enjoyed the notoriety and reputation of being a go-to town for science, research and technology since the 1980s."
“As life sciences continues to gain notable traction, Branford will continue to build on its reputation with HealthTech Park," Cosgrove said.
It's still too early to say how much impact the project will have in terms of tax revenue, he said.
"But an investment of this size will have a significant tax benefit," Cosgrove said.
The last time Branford sought to develop part of the land adjacent to the Exit 56 interchange of Interstate 95, the focus was on bringing a Costco warehouse club to a nearby piece of property. But the contentious debate over the property ended in 2017 when Costco abandoned its plans to develop the property.
Maresca said the details of this project, from concerns about environmental impact to keeping traffic from the facility from having to go onto Route onme, are being assembled in such a way "that it's the kind of thing that everybody will be able to get behind
Branford is one of the communities that has benefited from the New Haven area’s emergence as a biotech hub over the past three decades because of its proximity to the Elm City and the fact the town has hosted biotech companies for much of that time.
But adequate lab space for biotech startups and mature companies long has been a challenge that the New Haven area has struggled to address over the years.
Paul Pescatello, senior counsel and executive director of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association's Bioscience Growth Council, said Thursday's announcement is the latest example of how "life sciences R&D and biotech have really hit their stride in Connecticut."
"With all the start-ups and expansion in a variety of geographic hubs, especially in Branford, there comes a need for more office and, most critically, lab space," Pescatello said. "To the extent HealthTech Park provides that infrastructure, it will help Connecticut retain biopharmas in our state and not see them migrate to competitor states — states like Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey with higher costs but more available lab space.
Ginny Kozlowski, chief executive officer of REX Development / Economic Development Corp. of New Haven, said it's not surprising that more details aren't available about the project.
"These things take time, but this kind of commitment shows that there is confidence in the market," Kozlowski said.
She said the location, with frontage on Interstate 95, will serve as a billboard of sorts for Connecticut's tech sector.
"We went down to Raleigh-Durham last year, and everywhere you go, there's a biotech building with a different company's name on it," she said of the region of North Carolina known as the Research Triangle, one of the nation's best known technology centers. "This location is so important because the more we see the names of these (biotech and life sciences) companies, the more it will remind people what's going on in our economy."
Mark Zaretsky
NEW HAVEN — With development continuing to boom in New Haven, 166 new market-rate housing units will be coming just a block off the Green, with CA Ventures LLC's two new mixed-use residential buildings at 808 and 848 Chapel St.
The buildings, which the developers have dubbed "The Archive," are on the long-vacant former site of the Kresge store that once served the city on the south side of Chapel Street between Church and Orange streets. Developers and city officials celebrated the groundbreaking of the project Thursday.
"Our team has worked tirelessly for more than two years" to get the project moving, said Sarah Maxson, an Atlanta-based new development specialist for CA Ventures, which is based in Chicago.
"What truly sets this community apart" from others going up in New Haven "is its location," Maxson said. "The Archive is just steps away" from a host of downtown restaurants and cultural attractions, she said.
She said later that CA Ventures does not yet know what it will charge for rent, but it will be competitive with comparable properties in New Haven.
Asked how CA Ventures was attracted to the New Haven market, Maxson said, "I think the deal drew us to the market."
City Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli congratulated the developers on reaching this point and said it will be a boon to downtown, saying, "This is the type of development that supports restaurants, arts and culture."
The project, approved before the city's inclusionary zoning ordinance was passed, does not include designated affordable housing units, but the developer will pay $100,000 to a new affordable housing fund administered by the Affordable Housing Commission, he said.
The combined purchase price for the city-owned parcels was $1.06 million, with $100,000 going to the affordable housing fund, $400,000 for streetscape and infrastructure improvements and the balance going to the city's general fund for municipal operations.
While the eastbound lane of Chapel Street will be closed for 16 months between Church and Orange streets to facilitate safe construction of the project, Piscitelli urged people to continue patronizing the small businesses along that stretch.
John "Johnny" Brehon, co-owner of Devil's Gear Bike Shop, one of those businesses, said he was excited for the work to finally begin.
"It's an inconvenience ... because one side of the street is shut down," Brehon said, "but I'm on that (other) side — and everyone is walking by."
Brian Brodeur, executive vice president of development for CA Ventures, said the project should take about 16 months, at which time "we will have a two building community" with about 270 residents.
The project essentially wraps around a third building that is owned by someone else, Paul Denz, and is not part of the project, officials said.
The six-story, mixed-use residential building at 808 Chapel St. will have 46 apartments, including studio, one- and two-bedroom units, as well as retail space on the ground floor. It includes three parcels of land that, in addition to 808 Chapel, includes 812 Chapel St. and 108 Orange St.
A seven-story, mixed-use building at 848 Chapel St. will have 120 apartments, two levels of interior parking, residential amenities and street-level retail space. The project combines two adjacent parcels, 842 and 848 Chapel St. The two lots and an empty commercial building on the south side of Chapel Street between Church and Orange streets were once home to the Kresge store, which burned down in 2007.
The project was designed by Ken Boroson Architects of New Haven.
Building 208 apartments in downtown Danbury would decrease traffic, data says. Leaders don't buy it
Rob Ryser
DANBURY — A smooth presentation that included the city’s first look at renderings of a 208-apartment building project on south Main Street broke into doubt and disagreement over the developer’s data that downtown traffic would go down.
“It always amazes me we can put forth these projects that have increased residential capacity, increased population, and increased vehicles and the impact actually goes down,” said Duane Perkins, a member of the City Council, questioning the traffic impact analysis during a public hearing Tuesday night about the largest residential development currently proposed for downtown Danbury.
“It seems like these numbers are based on the current use and not the proposed use because you are looking at 208 units and most people are going to have vehicles,” Perkins said. “I just don’t understand how these numbers that are presented in the report actually coincide with what will actually be happening.”
Perkins was referring to a traffic impact analysis showing a reduction of peak hour traffic by project consultant Joseph Balskus that was first questioned by a Planning Commission member during the Tuesday night hearing and then was contradicted by an engineer on the developer’s own presentation team.
“I know what you’re saying, Duane,” Planning Commission chairman Arnold Finaldi said. “We are going to have to reconcile the traffic report from Mr. Balskus with what we all know from driving up and down Main Street…we’re going to be looking at that.”
Balskus’ calculation that traffic for the proposed apartment building at 30 Main Street would be reduced by 20 cars trips during the peak morning hour and reduced by 20 car trips during the peak evening hour compared to traffic today was the main sticking point of a 90-minute public hearing that was kept open until the Planning Commission’s next meeting in early May.
The project, known as The Legacy on Main has already been through the land use wringer once, gaining permission last week from the city’s wetlands commission. Blueprints call for the conversion of the existing five-story office building into studio and one-bedroom units, and the construction of a 70-foot apartment building in the parking lot with more studios and one-bedroom apartments. A small percentage of two-bedroom apartments would be distributed between the two buildings.
“With the clear majority of these apartments being efficiency and one-bedroom apartments, this project will not have any kind of real impact on the Danbury school system,” said Tom Beecher during Tuesday’s public hearing.
Beecher, the lead attorney for the development, spent 30 minutes connecting the development’s features with goals in three important land use documents adopted by Danbury — the city’s master plan for the next decade, the city’s affordable housing plan, and a study promoting the benefits of development centered around the city’s public transportation infrastructure.
Beecher quoted one goal from the city’s recently adopted master plan advocating “redevelopment and infill development with a focus on introducing new housing to the downtown and increasing the downtown’s population.”
“Our project fits this goal perfectly,” Beecher told planners on Tuesday.
“The (master plan) states multiple stakeholders and residents in Danbury express support for the concept of increasing housing supply in the downtown,” Beecher continued. “In other words, your (master plan) says ‘the city is ready, so please bring us your development projects.’ And here we are.”
The trouble started when Balskus presented data showing a net reduction in peak traffic counts for the new apartments, compared to the office use today.
“Is this office building occupied and are people in there working in it, or is it unoccupied?” asked Robert Chiocchio, the commission’s vice chairman.
“We projected the office being fully occupied,” Balskus said.
“But in reality, right now is it occupied or is it not occupied?”
The project’s consultants answered that the building was occupied, but they could not be more specific.
“Okay, so it’s somewhat occupied,” Chiocchio said. “In effect if it was fully occupied, we would have less traffic but in reality since it is not we are actually going to maybe have a little bit more traffic given the occupancy.”
Next, the project’s engineer Benjamin Doto called out the discrepancy between the data Balskus presented to the Planning Commission and traffic count figures Doto put on his own blueprints.
Doto noted that the vehicle trip estimate on his blueprints showed 1,700 total daily car trips would be generated by the new apartment development, compared to the current count of 1,150 total daily car trips as an office building.
“It does show an increase,” Doto said. “But that is total trips in a day and (Balskus) is talking about peak hour.”
Beecher concluded his presentation by suggesting projects such as The Legacy were downtown Danbury’s future.
“I’m sure you’ve read the articles and the studies about the shrinking need for brick-and-mortar office space due to the new normal of remote work arising out of the pandemic,” Beecher said. “Brick-and-mortar retail and office space have taken a hit over the recent years — and you will hear me say that in relation to a few upcoming applications.”
“This project and others are forward thinking and proactive,” he continued. “The idea is to be proactive and to look at adaptive reuse and how to avoid the downward spiral of vacancy then abandonment and then blight due to glut of vacant office space.”
Norwalk charter school closer to opening after 5 year delay with promise of $2.1M from CT
Katherine Lutge
NORWALK — After languishing for five years, a new charter school in Norwalk is a step closer to receiving the state funding it needs to operate.
The Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved $2.1 million for the school as part of the state budget proposal that will be reviewed by legislators and the governor. This would be Norwalk's second charter school.
“It’s been a very long time coming and Norwalk is a growing city,” said state Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk. “I’ve always said that kids, different kids learn in different school environments and there should be various opportunities for them.”
In 2018, the state Board of Education approved a state charter — but not funding — for the Norwalk Charter School of Excellence, which would be part of a management organization that runs charter schools in Stamford and the Bronx, N.Y. Excellence Community Schools could not be reached for comment.
Duff says a lot changed since this school was proposed.
“The city of Norwalk is going to be undergoing a 25 year of conference of school construction process for all of our public schools,” Duff said. “The city is in the midst of building a new South Norwalk school. But there is certainly always room for more educational opportunities for our students in Norwalk.”
Some leaders remain skeptical that a new charter school would help close Norwalk’s educational gap.
“Decades of under investment have made Connecticut’s public school system the worst in the nation for funding inequity,” said Mary Yordon, president of Norwalk Federation of Teachers. “The students who need the most support live in districts — like Norwalk — with the lowest levels of per-pupil school funding, the worst staffing shortages and the largest class sizes.”
Yordon said she remains concerned that the prospect of siphoning limited resources away from Norwalk’s community schools won’t be good for the vast majority of her members’ students and could make inequity worse.
Preparing young people to 'succeed'
This new school would be a part of the Excellence Community Schools which has nine schools in Bronx, N.Y. and one in Stamford. The Bronx Excellence schools began in 2004. By 2012, they were highest performing charter school in the state of New York and was named a U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon School, according to the school’s website.
In the fall of 2015, the Stamford Charter School of Excellence opened under the same educational model as the Bronx Excellence schools. The model outlined on its website includes setting behavioral standards, having extended school days, fostering parent and community engagement and creating flexible learning groups. Today, Stamford Excellence enrolls 560 students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
“They seem to have good results which is one of the reasons why I believe that this school would be a compliment our school system in Norwalk,” Duff said.
Norwalk Excellence proposed a pre-kindergarten through fifth grade school, "with a potential request for expansion to include a middle school model upon renewal, according to its application.
In the application, educational inequity was a key issue that the school aims to address by following the Excellence Community School model.
“The Norwalk Charter School for Excellence will prepare young people in Norwalk, Connecticut to compete for admission to and succeed in top public, private, and parochial high schools by cultivating their intellectual, artistic, social, emotional, and ethical development,” the school's mission statement says in the application.
Side by Side charter school, which has been operating since 1997, supports the creation of a second charter school in the city.
“All of us from the Side by Side community believe public education to be an engine for economic, social, and cultural empowerment for families and neighborhoods,” Side by Side Executive Director, Matt Nittoly said. “There is always a need for additional high-quality early public education options in Norwalk, and other cities across the state to meet the challenging needs of our children.”
Side by Side’s mission is to create a learning environment where diverse groups of students are challenged academically, encouraged to problem solve and work cooperatively.
“It is my hope that alongside Side by Side Charter School and the Norwalk Public Schools, this new charter school will help underserved Norwalk children to eventually attend the best high schools and colleges in the country,” Nittoly said.
In addition to the $4.1 million for Norwalk the Appropriations Committee's budget includes $4.75 for a charter school in Middletown and $937,500 for a charter school in New Haven. Funding for a proposed charter school in Danbury was not included.
The General Assembly has until June 7 to approve the proposed state budget.