Representatives of Svigals + Partners, Consigli Construction, and Diversified Project Management attended the Wednesday, November 6, Board of Education meeting to update board members on the plans for the new Sandy Hook School.

Diversified Project Management is assisting the Public Building and Site Commission in managing the Sandy Hook School Project, Svigals + Partners was chosen to be the architect/engineers of the new school, and Consigli Construction was chosen to handle project management as remediation, demolition, and the eventual new school installation occurs.

Aaron Krueger, project manager for Consigli Construction, reported that the project is proceeding according to schedule.

“So far it is going very well,” said Mr Krueger.

Julie McFadden, project manager for Svigals + Partners for its architect and engineering team, gave a brief update on everything that has been happening with the project since September.

“Our first order of business was to assemble the abatement documentation and the demolition documentation and get that up to the office of school facilities up at the state for their review and approval so that work could get under way,” Ms McFadden said.

She said the “programming” phase of the project has begun, which includes working with representatives of the community to “confirm that the educational specification is correct for the school, that it meets the curriculum needs that the school has.”

So far Ms McFadden said Svigals + Partners team members have met with Board of Education members, Interim Superintendent of Schools John Reed, Sandy Hook School Parent Teacher Association (PTA) members, and members of multiple town departments through an advisory committee it has formed.

“We are looking together at the global issues of the school’s design,” said Ms McFadden. “We’re learning about Newtown, and Sandy Hook in particular, as a community what is important to you, what are the special characteristics that are unique that we’ll use to inspire us in the design of the school.”

Along with the meetings with the community representatives, Ms McFadden also said Svigals + Partners is working on site diagrams that will be vetted with the Board of Education in the future.

“We’ll be coming back to the Board of Education to review, ultimately, perhaps several different schemes for the site and the building,” said Ms McFadden.

Mr Krueger also gave a synopsis of what has happened so far on the location.

“We mobilized on the site on October 7 and it has progressed in good fashion since that time,” said Mr Krueger. “At this point the interior abatement work is complete and two-thirds of the building, if you haven’t seen it from the helicopters yet, is demolished and down.”

The remediation and demolition, Mr Krueger said, is on schedule and on track to be completed by “the anniversary date.”

Svigals + Partners company principal Barry Svigals explained the schematic designs will need to be complete by the end of January, with an interim review with the school board happening around the end of January.

According to Ms McFadden, the plan is to come back before the school board in the next two weeks to present the educational specifications.

“We are certainly willing to come back as we move into the later stages of the design as well, when we get into the details,” Ms McFadden said.

During the meeting the school board also learned the targeted date of completion of the building is May 2016, with occupancy set for August 2016.