Fears Mount Over Industrial Project’s Impact on Ledyard Neighborhood

Brendan Crowley

LEDYARD — Just months after buying the house his father built off Route 12 in Gales Ferry, Paul Cerveney fears his life will be disrupted by the planned leveling of a hill behind the home.

Only a stone wall separates Cerveney’s property from Mount Decatur — the site of a fort built during the War of 1812 — where Quincy, Massachusetts-based Cashman Dredging is proposing a five- to 10-year “industrial regrading” project to turn much of the hill into a flat, 40-acre pad ready for industrial businesses.

“This is my dream home,” said Cerveney, who purchased the house in July.

Despite the hill being a stone’s throw from his property, Cerveney said a notice mailed in October was the first he’d heard of Cashman’s plans for Mount Decatur. Nearby neighbors have also expressed worry that noise, dust and vibrations from the project will cause daily disruptions. 

“I already have emphysema, there’s airborne particles that aren’t able to be seen. What are those going to do to me?” said Paul’s wife, Chrissy Cerveney. “I already have congestive heart failure, I already can’t breathe. It’s just, where are we gonna go?”

The proposal is the latest idea Cashman has floated for the Thames River industrial property long associated with Dow Chemical, and now home to an Americas Styrenics plant. 

Cashman first pitched a dredging hub, ideally situated for the company between its major operations in New York and Massachusetts. Facing major public opposition, however, the company paused that application and shifted its focus to developing the rest of the 165-acre site.

The company instead proposed a complex of industrial buildings, made possible by leveling Mount Decatur to create what it pitched in its application as a 40-acre pad of “prime, level, industrial land.”

A conceptual plan from February showed the space being filled by a 100,000-square-foot building, a 80,000-square-foot building, and twin 40,000-square-foot buildings. But what would actually be built would depend on demand.

Having the pad ready for development would be key when an opportunity arises, the company said, adding that the land has limited potential for development without grading.

The company also said the rock itself is “high quality” and will be in high demand from the construction industry for retaining walls, resilience projects and offshore wind turbine foundations.

Dave Harned lives on the other end of the Dow site and is a part of the Citizens Alliance for Land Use, a group of residents who have banded together to share their concerns with Cashman’s plans. He and the group pushed successfully for Cashman to leave a larger buffer between a proposed maintenance building on the northern end of the property and the neighborhood along River Road. 

Harned said some people believe their taxes will go down as a result of Cashman coming into town, but he argued the company’s proposals will not generate a significant amount of revenue for the town.

“I grew up here, and I knew [when I bought my home] about Dow, and the history and the intensity of use,” Harned said. “The proposed intensity of use is so dramatic, it’s not even close to what was done there before. It’s apples and oranges.”

Paul Cerveney said he remembers when Dow Chemical was active at the site, and he could hear machinery running or announcements over the loudspeaker from time to time. It’s gotten quieter and quieter over the years, he said.

“It makes a lot of noise to crush stone,” said Paul, whose father used to run a gravel company. “You can’t quiet that.”

Cashman has submitted its plans for Mount Decatur to the  Planning and Zoning Commission, and Harned’s focus is making sure Cashman meets the town’s zoning regulations.

The hill would be excavated in five phases over about a decade, starting farther away from the Cerveneys’ home, and moving gradually closer.

Cashman would first clear the soil to prepare the rock for blasting. The fill would be trucked out for use in local projects — up to 100 truck trips a day — the company said.

After a blast survey of neighboring wells and surface water, Cashman would then start blasting the rock, monitoring vibrations and noise of each blast with a seismograph. The rock will be “processed” on site, then shipped out. Cashman said it expects “most all” of the rock will leave by water, using the newly constructed pier.

Cashman’s application said the company would use sprayers to keep dust from the rock “processing” from floating off site. All the processing equipment will have sprayers to constantly capture the dust, the company said, and a water truck to spray the floor will always be on site.

The company said the landscape will create a bowl around the construction site, dampening sounds from blasting, excavating and processing rocks. Cashman claimed the natural bowl would keep sound below state limits. Blasting would be limited to between 11 a.m. and 4 pm., and other activities from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays, and 9 am. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays.

But Harned points to the town’s zoning regulations, which state the applicant has the burden to prove that the quarry won’t have dust, noise and vibrations that are “noxious, offensive or detrimental” to the area, and that it won’t cause air or water pollution. They specify that unreasonably loud or shrill noises, or any vibrations, are not allowed to go beyond the property line.

“It’s not for us to prove that they will violate the regulations,” Harned said. “Our job is to inform our Planning and Zoning what our concerns are. The applicant has the burden of proof to show that they won’t violate the regs.”

At the top of the hill along the banks of the Thames River, the wind shifts constantly, Chrissy said. Harned said it’s the same on his property along the river to the north of the Dow site. It’s common sense that there will be airborne dust and particles that will reach neighboring homes, he said, and it’s up to the company to prove that they won’t.

“The regulations are clear that fugitive dust is not allowed,” Harned said. “Dust cannot leave that property, so their job is to prove they’ll have the systems and processes to prevent it, and of course to test and monitor.”

Even if the sprayers are able to keep dust and fine particles from being picked up by the wind and carried a few hundred feet to neighboring homes, Paul said the water from sprayers, now carrying that dust, has to go somewhere. 

His concern is the family well, which sits nestled in the valley between the hill their home sits on and Mount Decatur. If there’s contaminated water flowing down the east side of Decatur, it could end up in the well. 

He’s also concerned that a decade of blasting a few hundred feet away will damage the well, and the house can’t connect to the town water line. 

Harned said he’s concerned that even if the project requires monitoring for dust, noise or vibration, it would be up to the small town government to monitor them. And if they proved it came from Cashman, he wondered if it would be possible to stop them without a lengthy court battle.

“We’re talking about a fight that’s almost unwinnable, because it’s David and Goliath,” Harned said. “That’s why it’s so important for the company to prove they won’t violate the regulations. Really prove it: here’s the data we have, here’s the experience we have from other locations, here’s exactly how it’s controlled.”

Cashman was scheduled to explain its plans at a public hearing in November, but the crowd exceeded the fire code capacity of the hearing room, and the commission opted to postpone it to Dec. 14 at a bigger venue at Ledyard Middle School.

The fate of the Dow site has been a topic of interest in town since Cashman first proposed a dredging processing facility in late 2021. The first informational session for the dredging last year was also postponed and relocated after residents overflowed a small room at the Bill Library. 
Cashman has since shelved the dredging project as it waits for new regulations, and is focusing on plans for the rest of the site.

Mass. company to construct EV battery plant in Bridgeport, with help of $47.5M federal grant

Andrew Larson

AMassachusetts-based company that manufacturers electric vehicle batteries is planning to build a factory in Bridgeport, with the help of $47.5 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Nanoramic Laboratories plans to create 200 permanent jobs at the plant for the manufacturing of lithium iron phosphate battery electrodes for grid storage.

Nanoramic produces high-performing, low-cost batteries that decrease the cost of batteries by up to 27%, while implementing sustainable initiatives to conserve and reduce energy consumption, according to an announcement from Mayor Joe Ganim’s office.
 
“I welcome Nanoramic Laboratories to the city of Bridgeport and I’m grateful that our city was chosen to be the home of such innovative technology that will not only produce jobs but will work in partnership with the sustainability initiatives we already have in place,” Ganim said.

Nanoramic Laboratories is owned by FastCap Ultracapacitors, based in Wakefield, Massachusetts.

On Friday, Gov. Ned Lamont, other state officials and John Cooley, founder and chief products officer for Nanoramic Laboratories, announced the project at the University of Bridgeport’s Harrison Steans Advanced Manufacturing Center.

New London seeking $8 million state grant to complete funding for downtown transit improvements

John Penney

New London ― With $17 million in federal funding already earmarked for massive upgrades to the city’s transit infrastructure, local officials are hoping the state is ready to open its wallet, too.

The city is applying for an $8 million state Department of Economic and Community Development Community Investment Fund grant that Mayor Michael Passero said would cover the remaining costs of an anticipated $25 million plan to expand and overhaul transportation options in the city.

“The federal money we were already awarded covers most of our costs, so it’s only fair the state chips in,” Passero said.

Passero said the federal Department of Transportation Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant awarded to the city in June will pay for the bulk of several downtown transit-related infrastructure improvements.

That federal funding will help add 400 parking spaces to the five-story, 910-space Water Street garage; create a new on-site transit hub; pay for a restoration project at the Union Station and Cross Sound Ferry’s new high speed ferry terminal; and support the building of a $20 million pedestrian bridge to connect the National Coast Guard Museum to the parking garage.

City Parking Authority Director Carey Redd II said Monday the state grant, if approved, would help fund three major garage projects: the expansion of the garage over an existing surface lot to Water Street; the replacement of an inoperable southeast section elevator with an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant version; and improve lighting on the southwest side of the garage.

“We also want to add a ‘skin’ on a part of the garage, similar to what you can see at the (Connecticut Children’s Hospital in Hartford) that highlights the historic tone of the area’s train station and landscaping,” he said.

Redd said his team is currently completing pre-construction project documents in anticipation of beginning the “hard improvements” at the garage within a year. He said no interruption of service is expected at the garage for the duration of the construction, which is expected to be complete by 2025.

“In these kinds of projects, we typically only take off between 100 and 150 parking spaces offline at a time,” Redd said. “It helps that we moved about 600 Electric Boat employee spaces over to Fort Trumbull years ago and, because of COVID, are still only at around 65% capacity right now.”

The city has had good luck in the past with the type of state grant it’s set to pursue, said city Grants Coordinator Adriana Reyes. She said New London earlier this year was awarded $7 million in the round two Community Investment Fund monies now being used to construct a new community center on the Fort Trumbull peninsula.

Reyes said it’s “crucial” for a municipality to have broad local legislative backing when applying for such state grants. The city received letters of support from state Rep. Anthony Nolan, D-New London, and state Sens. Martha Marx, D-New London, and Cathy Osten, D-Sprague.

The City Council on Tuesday is expected to discuss and approve the state grant application, which is due for submission on Dec. 15.

Second phase of luxury apartments being built at Perkins Farm in Mystic

Carrie Czerwinski,

Mystic ― Six months into construction of phase two of his massive Perkins Farm development, local developer Dave Lattizori is preparing to begin lining up tenants.

“This project has really been a labor of love for our family for over 20 years, so to see it take shape in the way that it has, and be so well received by the town, is really a dream come true,” Lattizori said on Friday.

Harbor Heights II, which broke ground in June on 123 luxury apartments, including 32 fourth-floor penthouse apartments, will begin pre-leasing early next year for the planned September opening of the new four-story apartment complex.

The one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments will rent in the $2,000 and $3,000-a-month range and have extra storage space and high-end finishes among other features.

“We have beautiful hardwood flooring, granite countertops, nickel finishes, glass backsplashes, so it’s really kind of a luxury-style apartment that we’re trying to achieve,” he said.

Lattizori said the market rate development was inspired by a desire to create a community where professionals and empty nesters could maintain active lifestyles, but also have the convenience of nearby medical providers.

To that end, the new complex will be much like the original, and have a gym with high-end equipment and a seasonal, resort-style pool, fire pits and upgraded poolside lounge furniture among other features.

The first phase of the project, valued at $85 million, contains a 50,000-square foot Hartford Health Care medical building that opened in January 2020, as well as 121 luxury apartments known as Harbor Heights and 50 townhouses. It generates $1 million a year in tax revenue for the Town of Stonington and created 100 permanent jobs.

Lattizori said the rental units in phase one are fully occupied, and despite opening on the first day of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, the project has been a great success.

He said the location also contributes to the appeal of the development.

“We’re the highest point in Mystic so you really kind of see over the entire town, and it’s a really unique perspective,” he said. “From the top floor, the fourth-floor units, you can actually see all the way out to Fishers Island Sound and Fishers Island.”

He said he was grateful for the overwhelming support of the community and attributed the success of the project to the increasing popularity of vibrant coastal towns like Mystic.

“I think Mystic is not just becoming a year-round tourist destination but it’s also becoming a year-round destination to work, play and live, and the goal of our campus has always been to cater to those people who kind of want to live in a vibrant coastal town like Mystic,” he said.

The 2021 approval for the second phase of development also included a 72,000-square-foot expansion of the Hartford HealthCare medical building, though Lattizori said there are no concrete plans to undertake that part of the project at this time.

More information on the project is available at the Harbor Heights Mystic website:

Developer of 486-unit Middletown apartment complex envisions 'campus' ambience

Alex Wood

MIDDLETOWN — By the time the Springside Middletown complex off Newfield Street is complete, developer Bob Dale hopes, it will contain 486 apartments, which Mayor Ben Florsheim says makes it one of the biggest construction projects of its type in the state.

But Dale also hopes that the first impression of someone driving into the complex will be of a “traditional village.”

To that end, he told a group of town officials and others gathered at the construction site Monday, the first buildings along the entry drive will “look like town homes,” with larger apartment buildings toward the back of the site.

Just past a traffic circle on the entry drive will be common buildings housing the leasing offices, conference rooms for tenants who work at home, comfortable chairs and a mail center where all tenants will receive their mail, Dale said.

There will also be a fitness and wellness building with attractions that will include a golf simulator and an outdoor pool and patio area, he told the group.

Dale envisions a walk to the mail center as an opportunity to both collect mail and “see a neighbor or two.” He hopes other features of the complex, including sidewalks, will also encourage walking and interaction among tenants.

He says the common buildings will frame a “town square” area crisscrossed with walking paths.

Areas of the site that will remain green will also include walking paths that Dale hopes can be connected to the city’s trail network.

He also plans to build a playground on a section of the site that has yet to be chosen and to set aside land for community gardens.

The overall impression he is trying to create, he said, is of a “campus or a village,” rather than a traditional garden apartment complex consisting primarily of parking lots and buildings.

There will be a number of enclosed garages — not one for every home but a “pretty fair" number, Dale said.

He added that storage was a consideration in the interior design of the units as well, with all units featuring walk-in closets.

Construction of the complex began about eight and a half months ago, Dale said. He said he hopes to have apartments ready to occupy by about Memorial Day, with completion of the first 240-apartment phase of the construction project by mid-2025.

After that, he said, he hopes to secure financing for the second 246-apartment phase of the project.

Dale was not ready to usher his visitors into apartments on Monday and ventured to bring them only a short distance into the site amid the movement of heavy trucks and other construction equipment.

But construction is proceeding quickly compared to the time it took for the complex to win needed approvals. Florsheim said it was “on the docket” when he took office in 2019. He said the process since then has included working through “a lot of concerns, a lot of changes.”

The city is supporting the project through tax incentives. Among the things it is receiving in return, Florsheim said, are “a strong commitment to local hiring” and to use of minority contractors.

Alan Marshall, one of three members of the compliance team for hiring of minority contractors, said the project is one of the first private developments in Connecticut to have minority-contractor set asides.

He said there was a $1 million floor for minority contracts on the first phase of the project but that the actual figure has reached $2.8 million.

Pedestrian bridge at Norwalk's Merritt 7 train station expected to open in mid-December

Katherine Lutge

NORWALK — After months of supply shortage issues, the final pieces needed to finish the new pedestrian bridge at the Merritt 7 train station are expected to arrive, according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

“We’re still at the mercy of getting those shipments in, but the contractors know that this is a priority,” said Josh Morgan, spokesperson for CTDOT. “When those materials arrive, they are prepared to work extended hours, weekends, to get this thing finally open for everybody.”

Morgan said last week that the materials would arrive that week. 

CTDOT is aiming for a mid-December opening for the new train station, with two weeks budgeted for the contractors to finish the work on the pedestrian bridge, he said.

The pedestrian bridge will give commuters direct access from the new train platform to the Merritt 7 office complex, the largest office complex in Fairfield County, on the other side of the tracks. Large companies including Datto, IBM, Hearst Connecticut Media Group and others are based in the complex, which abuts Main Avenue.

Currently, train commuters must take a Norwalk Transit District shuttle bus to get to the office from the Merritt 7 train station, which is on the Danbury branch of Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line.

“We’re going to open this thing as soon as we possibly can,” Morgan said. “We will certainly let the Norwalk community, let the commuters know, as soon as this pedestrian bridge is open.”

The bridge structure has been up since the summer; however, large sections of the glass are missing, which could cause safety issues in inclement weather, Morgan said.

“There’s a lot of glass still missing from the bridge zone,” he added.

Final pieces for the bridge’s elevators are also missing.

“The elevators have to be fully operational before we can get an all-clear from the building officials to make sure that we are able to open up,” Morgan said.

Supply chain issues have affected other projects for CTDOT, including a parking garage in Stamford, on a project-by-project basis, Morgan said.

“As we sort of get here to the finish line, orders are being delayed, shipments are being delayed,” he said. “It’s frustrating because we want to get everything finished and opened up for the people who are going to use that public service.”

The material delays Norwalk is facing are not “atypical,” Morgan said; other projects in Connecticut and around the country are facing similar material delays.

“I just appreciate people being patient,” Morgan added. “It’s great that we’re able to get the new station, a new platform — a high-level platform — open.”

The new 500-foot heated platform at the Merritt 7 train station opened in June after facing supply issues of its own. The project began in September 2020 and was originally expected to be completed in fall 2022, but it was delayed due to problems with the supply chain, underground utilities and drainage systems.

Milford chief says 'shocking' price tag means new police station will have to wait

Nick Sambides

MILFORD — City officials have been planning to build a new police station for at least 25 years, but even one of the idea's biggest supporters said it probably won't happen anytime soon because "the price is shocking."

Updating the Police Commission on the situation during a Nov. 14 meeting, police Chief Keith Mello said the new station would cost $81 million. He revised his estimate to $77.5 million in a follow-up email on Tuesday. 

Either way, it's funding that Mello doesn't see going toward a new station in the foreseeable future.

"We missed our opportunity to build and now everything costs more," he said during the meeting. "The price is shocking. We are now trying to tear down some walls in the existing building to create spaces, windows, et cetera."

Mello's $77.5 million estimate comes from a construction contractor that the city selected in 2018 to provide the original design development estimate. Additional design costs are possible. The drawings date to 2018.

"There are likely design elements that need to be updated based on existing code," Mello said in an email.

That April 2018 design had a price tag starting in the mid $30 million range, with total project costs at approximately $45 million. 

A new and larger police station has been in the city’s capital improvement plan since 1998. The current station, at 430 Boston Post Road, was built in 1978, and police and other city officials have said it was too small and obsolete from the beginning.

The city seemed set to build a new station after buying six acres at 130-150 Boston Post Road for $4.5 million in 2017. The plan was to eventually sell the current station for about $3.5 million to help recoup some of that cost. But then-Mayor Ben Blake "tapped the brakes" on the plan in 2019. The new station was "a big expense" that would "grow our debt service considerably for the next 20 years," he said at the time. 

He said city leaders would revisit the idea of building a new station in a few years.

Since then, the city has employed Public Works Department workers or contractors to improve the building. Police added a new locker room to accommodate an increase in the number of women officers and their latest, ongoing effort is to find office space for a social worker program.

"This program was not in existence in 2017 when the new building needs assessment was completed by the vendor. We are currently in the process of re-purposing existing space to accommodate our needs," Mello said.

The city will probably continue to fit out the existing building. Alderman Robert Pacelli said Wednesday that he is unaware of any Board of Aldermen effort to revisit the issue. He said he would rather not estimate the likelihood of it coming before the aldermen until the new board elected on Nov. 7 starts its term or some specific proposal gets put before the board.

Lacking a specific plan to vote on, "I am not in a position to support it or to be against it," Pacelli said. "At this point, we have a functioning department and I believe that the chief is not making any noise about it at this point."

A new station would carry "a huge price tag," Pacelli said. "It is something that needs to be discussed. In light of the cost, it would certainly have to have a lot of scrutiny or discussion."

With Hartford’s RPI campus sold, development around Dunkin' Park expected to move fast

Liese Klein

HARTFORD — A new grocery store, nonprofit headquarters or luxury apartments could be rising soon on prime land north of downtown Hartford — adjacent to the city's baseball stadium — according to developer Randy Salvatore.

Salvatore closed a deal this week to buy the former Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduate campus at 275 Windsor St. for $3.82 million. The building's property abuts Dunkin' Park, home to the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats.

Apartments are not the only choice for new construction at the 13-acre property, Salvatore said on Friday.

“Now that we have full ownership of the site, we’re going to actively search, look around and see what the options are,” Salvatore said. “If it’s multifamily, we’ll gear up for that. There’s plenty of other options for the site.”

Earlier this year Salvatore said he planned to build up to 269 apartments on the RPI property, which housed the New York-based university’s graduate programs in Hartford.

But that was before a settlement was reached in a lawsuit between the city of Hartford and another developer who had been fired from the Dunkin’ Park project. That pact in October ended a freeze on development around the park that had stalled Salvatore's plans for Parcel B, currently a weedy and uneven surface parking lot directly across Main Street from the stadium.

Now Salvatore is moving full speed ahead on Parcel B, planning to break ground within 60 days to replace the parking lot with a structure housing 237 apartments and a 522-car parking garage, the $120 million first phase of a complex that could eventually house 1,000 units.

At the same time, he intends to start demolishing the 1970s-era buildings at the RPI lot within 30 days. The only structure that will be left standing is a 450-spot parking garage, which would be part of any future development at the site. An initial estimate of the cost of the first phase of redeveloping the property was $67 million.

With the new apartments on track for Parcel B, Salvatore said he didn’t want to oversaturate the market for rental housing in Hartford and was “actively looking for a grocery operator” who might want to open a store at the RPI site.

Residents have long advocated for a new grocery store in Hartford, where many of its neighborhoods are considered “food deserts” due to lack of full-service grocery stores and “food swamps” for the low quality of options available.

“We need to find an operator that is interested in being in the area,” Salvatore said, adding that renewed development could help with the quest. “The more people that we have in the area, in the downtown, the more likely we are to attract an operator like that.”

Demolition at the RPI campus and new construction at Parcel B will be happening at the same time, Salvatore said. 

Salvatore said he had done similar simultaneous projects in other cities including New Haven, where his Stamford-based RMS Companies has built several apartment buildings as part of the City Crossing development. 

The RPI campus will eventually be incorporated into Hartford’s North Crossing development, which currently consists of the completed Pennant apartment and the plans for Parcel B. 

After moving many of its Hartford programs online, RPI put the graduate campus on the market in February.

Ridgefield schools unveil $39 million capital improvement plan; auditoriums slated for facelifts

Sandra Diamond Fox

RIDGEFIELD — The 70-year-old auditorium at Veterans Park Elementary School is slated for $775,000 worth of repairs and upgrades as just one of the many projects in the Ridgefield Public Schools proposed $39 million five-year capital improvement plan.

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“It has been on the capital planning horizon for 12 years, and it’s finally worked its way up to the top spot,” Joe Morits, director of facilities for the Ridgefield school district, said of the aging auditorium.

“This project is basically going to do a cosmetic makeover of all new seats. We’re going to do a new sound system. We’re going to refinish the stage, new curtains, as well as bring it up to code," he said. "Year two will be all the new stage lighting controls and house lighting upgrades.”

At a Board of Education meeting on Nov. 27, Morits presented the RPS capital improvement plan, which includes $19.9 million for renovations of the Ridgefield High School auditorium as well as acoustical improvements in schools, student and staff bathroom renovations and flexible seating arrangements for classrooms in the district's nine schools.

“This is chartered by the town to produce (and) develop a five-year look for planning purposes. … It’s intended to serve as a dynamic planning tool,” Morits said. “It’s reviewed annually. We go through a pretty good revision process to ensure that there’s consistency and also to reflect any changes and shifts in priorities and replace aged-out assets."

The district tries to keep its annual capital spending between $2 million and $3 million district-wide, he said.

The plan doesn’t cover routine maintenance and repairs; those costs will be in the district’s operating budget, Morits said.

“But it does include significant renovations and major repairs and renewals for damaged or deteriorating assets as well as investments in new assets,” he said. 

'We want them collaborating'

Aside from the high school auditorium, other items in the capital plan with high price tickets include districtwide network infrastructure upgrades and replacements budgeted at $991,000 and a districtwide ventilator replacement program budgeted at $1.5 million.

Additionally, the district plans to renovate student and staff bathrooms at Branchville Elementary School, bringing them up to code by retiling, putting in new fixtures, doing plumbing work, and creating accessible stalls, Morits said. This would cost about $161,000.

At Farmingville, Branchville, Scotland and Barlow Mountain schools, the district is looking to upgrade the cafetoriums, which are the multiuse combined cafeterias/auditoriums.   

“They’re desperately in need of sound dampening, some sort of acoustic systems that will lower the decibel levels. If you’ve ever been in a lunch wave in an elementary school, you’re good for about 30 seconds,” Morits said. The five-year cost of the projects would be about $178,000. 

A project to upgrade LED lighting and replace over 300,000 fixtures at the high school would carry a $1.3 million price tag, he said.

Also at the high school, “flexible seating options” would be incorporated, Morits said.

“Currently, we have attached hard plastic desks and chair set-ups that you have to scratch across the floor to move them. It’s simply not how we’re teaching kids anymore,” he said. “We don’t want kids in straight rows. We want them collaborating. We want them learning from each other."

With this flexibility, he said, “We’re talking about moving the teacher from the center of the classroom to the students being the center of the classroom."

Transitioning every department from the traditional set-up of seats to chevron-shaped desks would cost from $120,000 to $140,000, Ridgefield High School Principal Jacob Greenwood said. 

Another item in the capital plan is updating the visual performing arts spaces at several school buildings.

“This is a multiyear project. We’re looking at Farmingville and Scotland in year one, and it’s basically updating the curtains, refinishing the stage floors, adding spotlighting and controls,” Morits said. “In year two, we’re looking at … Barlow Mountain and then we’re going to be looking at Ridgebury as well.”