School Board Weighs

Its Options

By Eliza Hallabeck

The day after voters rejected by 26 votes the additional $6.045 million for the Newtown High School expansion project, Board of Education members discussed the next step, but no decisions were made by the end of the October 9 meeting.

“It’s a sad time for us to be meeting,” said board Chair Elaine McClure as she opened the meeting.

Wednesday night’s meeting was originally moved from its regularly scheduled time on Tuesday, because of the referendum.

Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson began the discussion of the high school expansion project by listing options the board can choose to take now they no longer have the option of the additional $6.045 million.

The expansion was passed by voters in April for $38.8 million, and when the bids were added in June, the project came in over budget by $6.045 million.

“We have to determine our options,” said Dr Robinson.

The first option would be to rebid the entire project, according to Dr Robinson. The Morganti Group was hired to over see the construction on the project, and watch over the contractors that will be hired for each bid package. Ed Barrent, the project manager with the Morganti Group, said rebidding the entire project would take roughly three to four months.

The second option would be to rebid part of the project. Mr Barrett said this would take less time, but the initial 90 days from when the bids were locked in is expiring on October 26. At that point bidders may choose to no longer hold to their bid prices.

The lower bidding contractors on the project could be lost in the process of rebidding part or all of the project, and, Mr Barrett said, there is no guarantee that rebidding will cut the project back by more than $6 million.

Another option facing the board is cutting out parts of the project.

“Based on the bids that came in and the money… it comes down to cutting off parts of the project,” said Mr Barrett.

Dr Robinson said every space in the addition corresponds with education specifications that are required by the state, and cutting back would loose on the educational value of the project.

Changing or eliminating part of the project, Mr Barrett said, would mean contractors who are not associated with that part of the contract would have to be put on contract with their project. Board members discussed the option of scaling back the gymnasium or taking out other parts of the project, like the culinary rooms or dance studio, which would be used like a second physical education space.

Joe Costa of Fletcher Thompson, the architectural firm for the project, said one-third of the project would need to be removed to make the project on budget.

The final option for the board to vote on would be to redesign and rebid the project, which would mean the costs to bring the project to where it is today would have to be paid again.

“I think we need to take a look at if this takes time to go out to design and rebid,” said Ms McClure, “we’re looking at almost another two years.”

Board of Ed member David Nanavaty said deciding on an option to move forward on Wednesday night was a blind move, because, he said, he wants the board to have the exact information before them on what parts of the project could be taken out without having to redesign the project.

“I can’t make a decision tonight,” said Mr Nanavaty, “because I don’t know what the options are in front of me.”

Board member Lillian Bittman said Fletcher Thompson and the Morganti Group are asked to bring information to the next meeting of the Board of Education that specifies the ramifications and details of the options facing the high school project.

“Then we will take this up again on our October 22 meeting,” said Ms McClure.

During the public participation of the project, residents asked the board to consider rebidding the project, and not cutting from the project as it is planned.

“I think that what you promised was a city on a hill,” said Newtown resident Douglass Brennan, “and what you gave us was a tent in a desert.”

Resident Carol Brown said she wants the entire project. “I’m not willing to give up on this project,” she said.