Norwich approves plans for four new elementary schools

Claire Bessette

Norwich ― The Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to approve revised plans for the four new elementary schools in the city’s $385 million school construction project.

The approval came just before a Friday deadline for submitting final plans to qualify for state reimbursement.

If state school construction officials approve the final plans for the first two schools, the John B. Stanton and Greeneville elementary schools, the city can put those two school projects out to bid in early January and start construction in March, project officials told the school board Tuesday.

Construction on the other two new schools, the John Moriarty and Uncas schools, could start in 2026.

Stanton, Moriarty and Uncas schools will be built on the grounds of the existing schools, which will be torn down to create playgrounds and athletic fields afterward. Greeneville will be built on the grounds of the demolished former Greeneville School and adjacent land.

The board approved final design plans for Stanton and Greeneville schools, and revised architectural plans for Uncas and John Moriarty schools.

Michael Faenza, the city’s representative from the project management firm, Consulting Solutions Group, told the school board that the new votes were required after the school projects were revised to reflect cost savings and lower elementary school enrollment projections.

The new demographics study allowed designers to reduce the capacity of the Uncas and Moriarty schools from 601 students to 548 students. The buildings were reduced slightly in size, Faenza said, and minor changes were made to the education specifications to reflect the smaller building sizes.

But he said no changes were made to the education programs or the number of classrooms. One special education room was removed from each new school.

“The changes are very minor, and the descriptions are almost exactly the same,” Faenza said.

Education programs for all four new elementary schools will be the same, Faenza said.

The Greeneville and Stanton school designs were too far along to adjust the building size for the new enrollment projections. Each of those schools will have a capacity of 601 students.

The school board was asked to adopt the final design plans for those schools Tuesday, sets of plans 400 pages long, including specifications for all building materials as well as detailed architectural drawings.

Project architect Jim Barrett reviewed exterior and interior renderings of the two schools. The Greeneville School will be three stories, with the gymnasium entrance able to be segregated for community use in the evenings and on weekends, he said.

Designs for a new or greatly renovated Teachers’ Memorial Global Studies Magnet Middle School and renovations to the Samuel Huntington School to house central offices and adult education will be the last portions of the project.

Preliminary cost estimates have the new Greeneville Scbool at $79.4 million, $539,359 more than the funding amount provided to the state Department of Administrative Services in the city’s earlier funding authorization, School Building Committee Chairman Mark Bettencourt said Thursday.

The new Stanton School is estimated at $67.5 million, nearly $1.4 million lower than the previous estimate.

“These are the current estimate. Numbers will change slightly prior to our meeting with the state and everything being submitted,” Bettencourt said in an email Thursday. “Additionally, once the bidding period has completed these numbers will change again.”

Updated cost estimates were not available for Uncas and Moriarty.

Project costs became a major concern last summer, as city officials faced the prospect of going back to the voters to add money to the project. That plan was canceled when the lower enrollment projections came in and allowed for reduced building sizes. Other cost saving measures kept the projected cost within the voter-approved $385 million.

Bettencourt said additional construction savings could be realized on the Uncas and Moriarty schools if the school district is able to move students from the existing schools on those grounds into other vacant elementary buildings after those students move into the new Greeneville and Stanton schools.

Once completed, the city will reduce from seven aging, inefficient elementary schools to four new schools.

Acting Superintendent Susan Lessard said the school district is looking into the possibility of hiring a firm to design the entire redistricting plan for the new schools, including staffing.

Analyst: Controversial Ledyard quarry project will eventually create $1M in tax revenue

Lee Howard

Ledyard ― A consultant hired by the town estimated Thursday at a Planning & Zoning Commission meeting that the 40-acre Gales Ferry Intermodal site being considered for a quarry application would eventually contribute more than $1 million a year to the town’s tax base.

Donald Poland of Goman + York in East Hartford cited the impact of the proposed construction of three buildings totaling 26,000 square feet on the former Dow Chemical site off Route 12 within the next 13 years.

According to Poland, the site would generate an average of about $500,000 in new tax revenue by years 10 and 11 after approval of the quarry, which would clear land that later can be used to construct the commercial buildings. Before then, he said, there is very little tax impact from the project.

“When the development is stabilized in year 12, the site is projected to be net positive by approximately $1,064,192,” according to Poland’s slide shown Thursday.

He added that the quarry project would lead to an estimated 77 full-time-equivalent jobs on a temporary basis and 130 permanent full-time jobs in the region. The effect would create an extra $7.6 million in revenue in the region, he said.

It was projected that by year 13, Gales Ferry Intermodal, which now is the town’s fourth-largest taxpayer, would move up to second behind Eversource.

Poland also noted that studies of real estate impacts from industrial projects show that home prices are usually hit hardest during the period when a proposal is being considered by regulatory authorities, as opposed to during the actual development period.

“I find no evidence that quarries reduce home prices,” he said, citing a study.

He added the land is an industrial site.

“From a land-use perspective, there’s not much change going on,” Poland said.

Members of the audience were outraged by the comments, yelling out, “We don’t want it,” and “Isn’t this a waste of time?” before they were asked to not interrupt the speaker.

About 60 people attended the hearing, with another three dozen or so participating on Zoom. The public had not yet had the chance to speak after 2½ hours.

In testimony submitted before the hearing Thursday, residents reiterated their objections to the project which include concerns about quarry dust management, traffic, noise, impact on their home values and a historic fort and the legal implications of approving the project.

“Any dust on my windows or car, or in evidence at Juliet Long and Ledyard Middle Schools will result in a lawsuit against the Cashman Company, albeit too late to prevent harm,” resident Jim Gauld said in an email. “That action will also be initiated if life in the Thames River system is compromised.”

Gales Ferry Intermodal is a division of Cashman Dredging & Marine Contracting Co. of Quincy, Mass.

Kim and Jim Millar of Gales Ferry also voiced concern in written testimony, emphasizing the health effects created by the release of silica dust created by quarrying operations at the 40-acre site.

“Young children attending the elementary and middle schools close to the proposed GFI operation will be at increased risk both for immediate health consequences and long-term consequences,” the Millars said. “It is unconscionable for our community to allow this to happen to our vulnerable children.”

Silica dust released in blasting that would be conducted on the site was also a topic of scientific testimony given in person at the last P&Z meeting Oct. 24.

“It is extremely toxic material,” Phil Fiore, a retired Pfizer inc. scientist and Gales Ferry resident, told the commission at the meeting. “The fibers can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis.”

Nearby Gales Ferry Methodist Church also weighed in against the quarry, saying in a letter that the 32 acres of its campus directly abut the Cashman property and that “we have serious concerns over the effects the proposed operations would have on our campus and the health hazards that would be presented to both the congregation members and the children serviced by the state sanctioned child care center that operates on the property during the week.”

The church said it is also concerned about the effects of quarry blasting on the foundation of its buildings as well as the danger of increased traffic when parents drop off and pick up their children at the day care center.

Patricia Marcek of 711 Long Cove Road, Gales Ferry, said she moved to the area because of its rural setting and freedom from noise.

“The proposal to create a gravel pit is contrary to everything Gales Ferry and Ledyard represent,” Marcek said in a letter to the commission. “The idea that a gravel pit will not create noise pollution, excess heavy traffic, dust, and an overall unhealthy environment for the citizens of our town is unrealistic.”

Marcek also voiced concern about local wildlife, particularly bald eagles that frequent Mount Decatur.

In a Nov. 10 analysis of the quarry project’s proposals for environmental mitigation and blasting submitted by outside consultants Harris Miller Miller & Hanson Inc. of Burlington, Mass., the group suggested that vibration associated with blasting might cause damage to homes on Anderson Drive.

The consultants found predictions about the release of particulate into the air to be reasonable, but “to provide additional protection for the surrounding community, our finding is that the applicant must continuously monitor particulate matter emissions to ensure that there are no exceedances associated with the site development and aggregate production efforts.”

Outside engineer Doug Ostler of Weston & Sampson, who reviewed the GFI-funded traffic study, said Thursday he didn’t expect traffic to be significantly heavier based on estimated numbers supplied by the applicant, though the new truck traffic “will be noticeable.”

The hearing was expected to be continued to next Thursday at 6 p.m. at Ledyard Middle School. The application must be voted on by next month.

Turf fields coming to Torrington

SLOAN BREWSTER 

TORRINGTON – Voters have agreed to spend $6 million, 85% of which will be reimbursed by the state, for turf fields at the new high school and middle school complex.

The final results from the Nov. 5 election were released Thursday afternoon and reflect a recount that took place Tuesday. The referendum question on spending the $6 million passed 5,812 to 4,717.

State Rep. Michelle L. Cook, D-Torrington, who got the state Department of Administrative Services to include the $6 million with the 85% reimbursement for the $179.5 million project, noted the fields were part of the original design but were cut when the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays and higher costs. She said she’s pleased the project will be completed per the original vision.

Building Committee Co-Chairs Mario Longobucco and Edward Arum said they are pleased with the way the building is progressing.

“Once again Michelle L. Cook came through with these additional dollars,” Longobucco said. “We’re going to try to stretch those dollars as far as we can and deliver one of the best high school campuses in the state. It’s our hope the entire community will benefit from the upgraded fields.”

Meriden seeks to rehab old buildings now the senior center, health department campus must wait

Mary Ellen Godin

MERIDEN — Still reeling after learning a $54 million proposed senior center and health department campus would be delayed by more than six years, city officials have turned their sights to rehabilitating their existing buildings.Ad

"I'm encouraged by some of the internal meetings that we've had," said Mayor Kevin Scapapti. "We are moving forward."

Work on three bridges, and Harbor Brook dredging will significantly delay campus construction, Scarpati recapped for members of the Senior Center/ Health Department Building Committee on Wednesday.

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However, the dilapidated building on the proposed site at 116 Cook Ave. will likely come down this year.

City Manager Brian Daniels outlined the city's options as it grapples with rehabilitating two aging buildings it had hoped to replace.

The health department at 165 Miller St. is on the first floor with a state juvenile court on the second floor.

The lease with the state is up in 2032, but Daniels is in talks with state officials about allowing the city to renovate both floors simultaneously. If not, the city intends to move forward with the first floor redesign using health department plans approved by the building committee.

Daniels asked the Finance Committee to allow him to apply for a $250,000 Community Investment Fund grant to do a needs assessment on the Health Department building. The completed assessment will allow the city to get a work estimate and seek other grants for construction.

Should the city move forward with the Health Department renovation at 165 Miller St., it will be removed from the proposed campus design at 116 Cook Ave.  

"If the feasibility of renovating 165 Miller St. moves along the project at 116 Cook Ave., that's fine with me," said Director of Health and Human Services Lea Crown. 

That leaves the senior center at 22 W. Main St, an 84-year-old building with water leaking throughout the outer walls into the interior. The estimated cost to repair the walls is about $360,000 however a laser roof scan conducted last week revealed about 40 percent of the insulation under the roof is saturated, Daniels said. 

Replacing the entire roof is estimated to cost $880,000, Daniels told committee members. He also asked the Finance Committee for $370,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding for the wall repair at 22 W. Main St. and the roof costs, as well as $187,000 in ARPA funds to do a needs assessment of the electrical, compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, HVAC and other work.

Once completed, the needs assessment will act as validation, the building is a shovel-ready project, suitable for grants, he said. 

One of the factors mentioned in the design study for a new senior center is the lack of natural light. Daniels proposed 20 new skylights be installed during the roof repair. 

"If we want to do it and we want it to last 20-30 years, we want to do it right," Daniels said. "It will light up the interior and the hallways. It will be like night and day. This building will be occupied by the seniors for the next six years."

Both 165 Miller St. and 22 W. Main St. will need the renovations even if the city could build its campus now at 116 Cook Ave., Scarpati and Daniels said. 

"Given the age and condition of the building, they have to be addressed," Daniels said. 

Senior Center Director Rick Liegl and Crown reassured committee members the health department can work at the senior center and share library space during construction. Daniels said there will be a construction timetable that considers the senior center's operation.

Eliminating the Department of Health and Human Services from the proposed campus at 116 Cook Ave. means a smaller project, less parking and fewer costs, Daniels said. 

Members of the public criticized city officials and the committee for not being aware that the bridge work and dredging were going to significantly delay the project. 

"It came as a surprise at the end of deliberations," said Chairman Bruce Fontanella. "Some people knew, some people didn't. It was a breakdown in communications." 

Fontanella thanked the officials for their work to seek alternatives until a new senior center is built.

"It crossed my mind to just give up," Fontanella said. "It crossed my mind a little bit."

Construction Work Begins at Lyme-Old Lyme Schools as New Bids, Cuts Resolve Cost Overruns

Francisco Uranga

LYME/OLD LYME — Superintendent Ian Neviaser stood in a Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School classroom Wednesday where ceiling tiles had been removed, exposing wires and air conditioning ducts. These were the first signs of HVAC system improvement work at three Lyme and Old Lyme schools that began in early November.

“They’re taking down the entire ceiling so they can scan what’s up there and better design the new systems,” Neviaser said. “They take that back to their shop and build the new duct work.”

Outside the school, there was a container where the remains of ceiling tiles were collected. Inside, students walked through the hallways as they normally would, despite the construction work that gave the building the feel of a factory.

The $57.5 million project got underway after a series of adjustments to reduce the cost and meet the approved budget. These changes included eliminating improvements to security vestibules and fire protection systems and redesigning the HVAC system.

The original project included improving HVAC systems at Lyme Consolidated School, Center School, Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School and Mile Creek Elementary School. It also included fire protection system upgrades, additional parking spots and the expansion of the Mile Creek building.

After receiving the first bids for the HAVC for the three schools in August, the project cost had risen $7.7 million above the $57.5 million budget approved by referendum in 2022.

The subcommittee in charge of the project then proposed a series of combined changes that reduced the project cost to nearly $120,000 under budget, without considering Mile Creek School bids, according to estimates from Downes Construction Company, a firm that is overseeing the project for the district.

The major savings came from the elimination of the security vestibule for three schools, fire system upgrades at two schools and work on the Lyme Consolidated school parking lot. These changes reduced the cost by $4 million, according to a  Downes report.

The security vestibules will be built in the same timeline as initially expected — summer 2025— but as a stand-alone project. The Board of Education authorized the district’s “undesignated fund” of leftover budget dollars to cover the approximately $1 million cost of this work for Consolidated School, Center School and Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School. 

The remaining $3 million-plus in cost cuts were achieved through a rebidding process.

“Initially, Downes Construction Company had large bids for the project with the idea that they wanted to get big companies in here to speed the process up. Those came in very high and we got very few bidders,” Nevaiser said. “We repackaged those bids into much smaller packages, got a lot more interest from smaller companies and got much better pricing.”

Nevaiser attributed this strategy and increased competition to the bids for the Mile Creek project coming in at $1.4 million below the initial estimate.

Another source of savings lay in the fire sprinkler system. Proposed improvements to the system at Lyme Consolidated and Mile Creek were eliminated from the project following an opinion from Fire Marshal David Roberge.

 At the October Board of Education meeting, Roberge recommended maintaining the current system and requesting a waiver from the state to not have to install sprinklers in the Mile Creek School expansion.

Nevaiser told CT Examiner that the district had already asked for that permission with the Office of State Building Inspector and expected to have a response in the next few weeks.

“The fire chief says sprinkler systems don’t necessarily save lives, they save buildings,” Nevaiser said. “All the stuff that we have in place, the audio alarms when the fire alarm goes off, the smoke detectors that we have that would catch a fire long before a sprinkler system. That’s what’s going to save a life.”

The latest bids on the Mile Creek School project estimate a cost of $24 million, although if the state approves the waiver for the sprinkler system, that cost could be even lower. 

“Worst case scenario, the state rejects our request and we have to go back to sprinklers,” Nevaiser said. “The good news is we’re under budget by a pretty significant amount. So we could hopefully absorb any additional costs.”

Before the referendum, the district received a $9 million grant for the Mile Creek School expansion from the state Department of Administrative Services. In 2023, the three other schools received $12 million in grants for HVAC system upgrades, a state initiative spurred in response to COVID-19. Nevaiser said the district’s need to replace aging air conditioning equipment existed before the pandemic. 

Nevaiser said he expected to receive state approvals in “the next few weeks”, finish bidding on the pending portion of Mile Creek School and begin work in December.

The HVAC system improvement projects for the three schools are expected to be completed by the end of 2025. Mile Creek School expansion is expected to take between two and 2.5 years, according to Nevaiser.