Zach Murdock
DANBURY — Top public school officials got their first look Wednesday at the massive new addition to Danbury High School.
The 100,000-square-foot wing of the school adds science labs and more than two dozen classrooms to the high school and will be home base for the next freshman class in September.
The three-story complex between the school and athletic fields includes additional locker rooms, space for athletic trainers and a smaller, second gymnasium that can double as an overflow cafeteria. “When the taxpayers see all this, I think they’ll be really proud of what we’ve been able to do here,” school board member Rich Jannelli said.
The project, nearly complete, is still within its expected budget at $53.3 million, officials said. The only outstanding work left to be done is in the new theater space, which will not be finished until the end of July, owing largely to the spate of nor’easters that slammed the state earlier this year.
Even then, however, work simply slowed and did not require many change orders, keeping the complex construction project within its original budget, city Public Works Director Antonio Iadarola said recently.
“Overall, the project has gone incredibly well,” he said. “No major hiccups. The weather was really the only thing that slowed us down on the black-box theater.
“The progress was incredible until those cold spells,” he continued. “That two or three weeks of cold followed by snow after snow after snow — that basically stopped the black box theater from opening up along with the big addition.”
The next freshman class will spend almost three-quarters of its schedule in the new building, which is designed to give the new students their own “freshman academy” to help them acclimate to the high school experience, Principal Dan Donovan said Conspicuously missing from the expansion’s hallways: lockers. “It used to be that you carry around four books to every class, but it’s just not like that anymore,” Donovan said. “With all the technology and Chromebooks (laptop computers), the kids just don’t need them. “It was a cost-savings thing for us not to have them in here, so we just got rid of them,” he continued. “If we could tear them out of the rest of the building we would, because no one uses those either, but that’s expensive, too.”
The expansion also helps alleviate some space constraints in the state’s biggest high school, which has more than 3,100 students this school year. But budget constraints have limited how quickly the addition will fill up.
School leaders included more than $850,000 in the next year’s budget to pay for five new teaching positions, two new special education positions, three new custodians and an additional nurse to help staff the new addition. But that figure is only part of what is needed to staff the added classrooms, and Pascarella intends to add new teaching positions each year for several years to bring the remaining classrooms within the budget.
Crews will continue to install seats, furnishings and stage equipment in the theater for the remainder of the summer, officials said.
If the project is ultimately completed under budget, the unused funds will remain dedicated to work on the school grounds and not return to the city’s general fund, Iadarola said. Any extra cash could go toward much-needed improvements to the school’s outdoor track, he added.
Bethel seeks to minimize disruption during Rockwell, Johnson school renovations
Julia Perkins
BETHEL — The upcoming renovations to Rockwell and Johnson elementary schools will cause minimal disruptions, officials say, although some students will have classes in portables and take gym in regular classrooms.
Superintendent Christine Carver and representatives from Rizzo Construction Corp. outlined for at least 40 parents Tuesday evening the timing and logistics of the $65.8 million project, which will begin in earnest around October and take about two years.
“Johnson and Rockwell schools are your home, your children's home,” said Anthony Rizzo, head of Rizzo Construction. “We, as the contractors, are visitors. Our job is to make sure that it’s business as usual.” For the most part, officials said, that will be the case.
Students will likely hear some construction noise, but crews plan to do the loudest work outside school hours or during weekends and vacations. Workers will also park off-site and deliveries will be timed to avoid recess and drop-off times. The playgrounds will remain accessible and traffic patterns around the schools will not change.
The school year will be adjusted, however, to maximize summer construction time. Next academic year, classes will start Aug. 29 and end June 7, barring any snow days. The following year, school will begin the Tuesday after Labor Day.
“I’m saying a prayer that we do not have weather next year like we did this year,” Carver said.
At points during the renovations, students will need to take “special” classes such as art or music in their regular classroom.
For example, Johnson students will be unable to access the gym for several months during the first year of construction. Instead, physical education will be held outside, in classrooms, in the cafeteria or in the new body and brain lab.
“We just have to think outside the box a little bit,” Johnson Principal Alison Salerno said.
At Rockwell, crews will set up two portables with 12 rooms each, bathrooms, heat, air conditioning and an intercom system connected to the main building. Johnson will not have portables.
When students return to Rockwell in the winter of 2019, the second floor, including the library, will be vacated and second- and third-graders will move to the portables, set up like their rooms in the main building, Carver said. Kindergarten and first-graders will move to the portables when work begins on the first floor in the fall of 2019.
Parents were unhappy that students in the portables would have to put on their coats and gloves and walk outside to go to lunch or special classes in the main building. But officials assured them that the walkway to the portables will be covered and fenced in for safety. The portables will also have cameras and be locked.
Parents were also concerned about how construction workers will be vetted. Rizzo said crews will undergo fingerprinting and a yearly background check and will be required to wear badges on site. This is the same process Rizzo implemented for projects at Danbury High School and Sikorsky Aircraf “Our primary concern is the safety of the students that are there, the safety of the faculty and the safety of the parents who are coming in and out of the building,” Rizzo said.
Rockwell and Berry elementary schools now include students up to third grade, but Rockwell third-graders will move into the renovated first floor of Johnson in the fall of 2019. Third-graders from Berry will not move into Johnson until the fall of 2020. Carver urged parents to contact her, the elementary principals or Rizzo with questions.
“If there's anything you’re concerned about with regards to construction, just talk to us,” Carver said. “The earlier we know things, we can nip things in the bud and hopefully address things right away, so it doesn't exacerbate or become a bigger problem.”
Smalley Elementary project finally, officially begins
Skyler Frazer
NEW BRITAIN - It was a long, bumpy ride, but Smalley Elementary School’s extensive renovations are officially underway.
Elected officials, many of whom advocated for the changes, met at the school on Wednesday to break ground on the project, anticipated to be completed by the 2019-20 school year.
In the meantime, Smalley students are being educated at the former Pope John Paul II School.
“Today’s groundbreaking ceremony brings staff and faculty, parents and students closer to the reality of a state-of-the-art school building,” said Principal Elsa Saavedra.
For years, legislators and educators have been pushing for money from the state, and the budget passed in October 2017 included $42 million for the project.
The city will borrow the remaining 20 percent of the project’s $53 million cost. The project will essentially revamp the school, with new parking lots, more classroom space and an updated, modernized look.
The city’s General Assembly delegation, as well as Gov. Dannel Malloy, were big supporters of the project.
“It’s very exciting, particularly for this neighborhood,” said state Sen. Terry Gerratana, D-New Britain. “We started talking about this well over five years ago and I’m so happy to see that today it’s coming to fruition.”
State Rep. Bobby Sanchez, D-New Britain, shared similar sentiments.
“I remember sitting here in this building about five years ago … talking to parents about the building itself,” Sanchez said. “I’m glad that the city of New Britain, the Board of Education, the superintendent and everyone got together and said, ‘Let’s make Smalley happen.’ ”
School Superintendent Nancy Sarra thanked legislators and city officials for their support of the project.
“Everyone put students at the forefront,” Sarra said. “When we all work together, change is possible.”
“It’s incredible how these projects happen and live through administrations, through different councils, through different boards of education,” Mayor Erin Stewart said. “This is a project that’s not just going to transform the education that is given to our Smalley students; it’s going to transform this neighborhood as well,” Stewart said.
Paul Salina, the school district’s chief operations officer, said the project is another important phase in the renovation of city schools, including DiLoreto Elementary and Middle School years ago.
While the project is budgeted at $53 million, Salina said it looks as though it could be less costly.
Kaestle Boos is the contractor and designer for the project and Newfield Construction will handle construction.
“At the present time, we believe the project will come in under that tag at a price close to $45 million,” Salina said.
DOT says fourth lane on Gold Star Bridge could open as early as Thursday
The state Department of Transportation is ahead of schedule and could open the fourth lane on Interstate 95 southbound across the Gold Star Bridge on Thursday morning, rather than Friday morning, project engineer Keith Schoppe said.
DOT has been working to set up by this weekend a new configuration on the bridge that will enable four travel lanes, rather than three, and the re-opening of the Bridge Street on-ramp.
Schoppe said Wednesday afternoon that the barrier has been shifted and the contractor is expected to complete the line striping Wednesday. As long as the contractor can finish the line striping, the fourth lane will open Thursday morning.
The Bridge Street on-ramp still is on schedule to reopen Friday morning, due to the need to turn on the traffic signals at the bottom of the ramp, he said.
The DOT is working on a rehabilitation project on the southbound side of the bridge.
Bristol Hospital begins construction on new ambulatory center
Joe Cooper
Bristol Hospital says it broke ground earlier this month on its new 62,000-square-foot ambulatory care center downtown.
National developer Rendina Healthcare Real Estate is partnering in the development and will own and manage the new facility at the intersection of Main Street and Riverside Avenue. The hospital's new Ambulatory Care Center is expected to open in late 2019.
The center will be occupied by Bristol Hospital's multi-specialty group to provide services including cardiology, endocrinology and diabetes, neurology, orthopedics, rheumatology and urology.
Hospital officials said the new facility will help expand its healthcare services for the Bristol community.
Developer Plans Elaborate Food Market For Hartford's Parkville Neighborhood
A heavy lock seals the front gate and graffiti adorns the west wall at 1400 Park St., but owner Carlos Mouta has grand plans for the run-down property.He envisions two floors of sprawling retail space emblematic of the city it will serve, including a trove of food and beverage vendors offering a taste of Hartford.
The ground level would include dozens of food stands run by city and suburban companies. A blend of flavors and cultures would be featured, from Mexican cuisine to Vietnamese fare.
Mouta is aiming for a mix of other retail on the second floor — possibly a coffee shop, a wine bar or distillery, and booths selling flowers, stationery and jewelry.
So far, he’s been tight-lipped about the vendors coming on board. But most of them already have a footprint in Hartford, he said.
Mouta, a city native who owns more than 20 properties across Hartford, doesn’t yet have a price tag for the venture. He is not seeking public assistance, and plans to fund the project with a bank loan.
He is finalizing blueprints for the market, and awaiting the approval of site plans and variances from the city’s planning and zoning commission. If those are authorized, construction would begin in 30 to 60 days, he said.
Neighboring companies in Parkville, a community brimming with potential that sits along the path of a city-to-suburb busway, have warmed to the proposal. They see it as the latest enterprise to boost momentum in an area that is on the rise.
“It has a lot of promise,” said Barbara Shaw, executive director of the nonprofit Hands on Hartford, whose headquarters are a stone’s throw from 1400 Park St. “We know that, given our experience with other communites that have developed thriving neighbrohoods, when you bring in something that could be a focal point, it can benefit everyone else in the neighborhood.”
Ben Braddock, who owns Hog River Brewery with his wife, Joy, said another “destination” business is needed in Parkville. His taproom, that opened in 2016, draws people from downtown and the suburbs, and a food market could do the same.
“Any business we can get into Parkville that generates foot traffic and gets people down here to see what’s going on, I think that’s wonderful,” Braddock said. “It’s great for the neighborhood.”
Parkville has seen a swell of activity in recent years. Hands on Hartford moved there from its Main Street office, and plans to convert a former boiler plant on Bartholomew Avenue into 30 apartments. A groundbreaking is planned for this fall. CLICK TYITLE TO CONTINUE
In the meantime, Smalley students are being educated at the former Pope John Paul II School.
“Today’s groundbreaking ceremony brings staff and faculty, parents and students closer to the reality of a state-of-the-art school building,” said Principal Elsa Saavedra.
For years, legislators and educators have been pushing for money from the state, and the budget passed in October 2017 included $42 million for the project.
The city will borrow the remaining 20 percent of the project’s $53 million cost. The project will essentially revamp the school, with new parking lots, more classroom space and an updated, modernized look.
The city’s General Assembly delegation, as well as Gov. Dannel Malloy, were big supporters of the project.
“It’s very exciting, particularly for this neighborhood,” said state Sen. Terry Gerratana, D-New Britain. “We started talking about this well over five years ago and I’m so happy to see that today it’s coming to fruition.”
State Rep. Bobby Sanchez, D-New Britain, shared similar sentiments.
“I remember sitting here in this building about five years ago … talking to parents about the building itself,” Sanchez said. “I’m glad that the city of New Britain, the Board of Education, the superintendent and everyone got together and said, ‘Let’s make Smalley happen.’ ”
School Superintendent Nancy Sarra thanked legislators and city officials for their support of the project.
“Everyone put students at the forefront,” Sarra said. “When we all work together, change is possible.”
“It’s incredible how these projects happen and live through administrations, through different councils, through different boards of education,” Mayor Erin Stewart said. “This is a project that’s not just going to transform the education that is given to our Smalley students; it’s going to transform this neighborhood as well,” Stewart said.
Paul Salina, the school district’s chief operations officer, said the project is another important phase in the renovation of city schools, including DiLoreto Elementary and Middle School years ago.
While the project is budgeted at $53 million, Salina said it looks as though it could be less costly.
Kaestle Boos is the contractor and designer for the project and Newfield Construction will handle construction.
“At the present time, we believe the project will come in under that tag at a price close to $45 million,” Salina said.
DOT says fourth lane on Gold Star Bridge could open as early as Thursday
The state Department of Transportation is ahead of schedule and could open the fourth lane on Interstate 95 southbound across the Gold Star Bridge on Thursday morning, rather than Friday morning, project engineer Keith Schoppe said.
DOT has been working to set up by this weekend a new configuration on the bridge that will enable four travel lanes, rather than three, and the re-opening of the Bridge Street on-ramp.
Schoppe said Wednesday afternoon that the barrier has been shifted and the contractor is expected to complete the line striping Wednesday. As long as the contractor can finish the line striping, the fourth lane will open Thursday morning.
The Bridge Street on-ramp still is on schedule to reopen Friday morning, due to the need to turn on the traffic signals at the bottom of the ramp, he said.
The DOT is working on a rehabilitation project on the southbound side of the bridge.
Bristol Hospital begins construction on new ambulatory center
Joe Cooper
Bristol Hospital says it broke ground earlier this month on its new 62,000-square-foot ambulatory care center downtown.
National developer Rendina Healthcare Real Estate is partnering in the development and will own and manage the new facility at the intersection of Main Street and Riverside Avenue. The hospital's new Ambulatory Care Center is expected to open in late 2019.
The center will be occupied by Bristol Hospital's multi-specialty group to provide services including cardiology, endocrinology and diabetes, neurology, orthopedics, rheumatology and urology.
Hospital officials said the new facility will help expand its healthcare services for the Bristol community.
Developer Plans Elaborate Food Market For Hartford's Parkville Neighborhood
A heavy lock seals the front gate and graffiti adorns the west wall at 1400 Park St., but owner Carlos Mouta has grand plans for the run-down property.He envisions two floors of sprawling retail space emblematic of the city it will serve, including a trove of food and beverage vendors offering a taste of Hartford.
“I don’t want to sell Coney Island hot dogs there,” Mouta said. “I want it to be everything representing Hartford.”
For more than a year, plans have inched along for a 20,000-square-foot food market in the building Mouta purchased at the turn of the century in the city’s Parkville section. He is talking with more than 40 vendors in and around Hartford to form the Parkville Market, reminiscent of Manhattan’s Chelsea Market and Brooklyn’s Dekalb Market Hall. The ground level would include dozens of food stands run by city and suburban companies. A blend of flavors and cultures would be featured, from Mexican cuisine to Vietnamese fare.
Mouta is aiming for a mix of other retail on the second floor — possibly a coffee shop, a wine bar or distillery, and booths selling flowers, stationery and jewelry.
So far, he’s been tight-lipped about the vendors coming on board. But most of them already have a footprint in Hartford, he said.
The market would run seven days a week, 365 days a year.
“People from West Hartford, Wethersfield — they’re going to flock there,” Mouta said. “It’s a destination place, so I’m not concerned about business at all.”Mouta, a city native who owns more than 20 properties across Hartford, doesn’t yet have a price tag for the venture. He is not seeking public assistance, and plans to fund the project with a bank loan.
He is finalizing blueprints for the market, and awaiting the approval of site plans and variances from the city’s planning and zoning commission. If those are authorized, construction would begin in 30 to 60 days, he said.
Neighboring companies in Parkville, a community brimming with potential that sits along the path of a city-to-suburb busway, have warmed to the proposal. They see it as the latest enterprise to boost momentum in an area that is on the rise.
“It has a lot of promise,” said Barbara Shaw, executive director of the nonprofit Hands on Hartford, whose headquarters are a stone’s throw from 1400 Park St. “We know that, given our experience with other communites that have developed thriving neighbrohoods, when you bring in something that could be a focal point, it can benefit everyone else in the neighborhood.”
Ben Braddock, who owns Hog River Brewery with his wife, Joy, said another “destination” business is needed in Parkville. His taproom, that opened in 2016, draws people from downtown and the suburbs, and a food market could do the same.
“Any business we can get into Parkville that generates foot traffic and gets people down here to see what’s going on, I think that’s wonderful,” Braddock said. “It’s great for the neighborhood.”
Parkville has seen a swell of activity in recent years. Hands on Hartford moved there from its Main Street office, and plans to convert a former boiler plant on Bartholomew Avenue into 30 apartments. A groundbreaking is planned for this fall. CLICK TYITLE TO CONTINUE