Board Sends 5/6 School Plans For State Review

By Tanjua Damon

The Newtown School Board held a special meeting Tuesday night to vote on the proposed plans for the 5/6 School that are scheduled to be delivered to the state for its review next week.

The school board voted unanimously to submit the plans and specifications of the proposed 5/6 school for state approval. The plans will be brought to the state on January 9.

The school board also voted unanimously to demolish Watertown Hall, the building that currently occupies the 21-acre site of the proposed school.

David Valerie of Strategic Building Solutions told the board that two different contracts are being used for the demolition. One contract will be for the abatement of hazardous materials and the second is for the demolition of the building itself.

“It’s pretty straight forward,” Mr Valerie said. “It takes the building down and makes way for a baseball field that is planned for that area. We’re looking to save a little money here. That’s why we did it separately.”

The estimated cost for the abatement and demolition of Watertown Hall is $450,000, which is already included in the almost $34 million project budget.

The school board held its regular workshop meeting after the special meeting Tuesday night at which the board also discussed the water and sewer issues for the proposed school. The school district received notice from First Selectman Herbert Rosenthal that the Newtown Water Pollution Control Authority had unanimously recommended that Newtown make sewer service available for the new 5/6 school. The district is still waiting to hear from the state on whether or not it will approve water service for the site.

Superintendent of Schools John R. Reed told the board Tuesday that the state would have to factor in water service, if the town does not purchase Fairfield Hills. A backup plan to receive water could come from the commercial water hookup from Queen Street, Dr Reed said.