State OKs School District Move

By Jeff White

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said this week that the Newtown school district had the approval of the state for its planned relocation to Canaan House on the Fairfield Hills core campus.

Baring any delays, Mr Rosenthal said he was waiting for the lease to arrive for signature.

When Mr Rosenthal heard that the school district was planning on moving its offices out of it’s current Queen Street location, he suggested the use of Canaan House as a more financially sensible option. The district had been considering leasing part of the JP McGuire building currently under construction across from the high school.

The space under consideration in Canaan House is directly across from the area the town currently rents from the State Department of Public Works, where the Building Commission, Planning and Zoning, Health District, and Parks and Recreation are located. The floor plans for the two wings are almost identical.

The purpose for the relocation is to free up the district’s current office space so that it can be turned into classrooms for the middle school. The district plans to move out toward the latter part of this summer, and be in place in its new offices by the start of school in the fall.

It will remain for school officials to assess what will need to be done in terms of computers systems, air conditioning, and a telephone service in the wing.

Mr Rosenthal said that the district rent for Canaan House office space would be about $44,000.