New Haven Independent

Only three of the four aldermen required for a quorum turned up at City Hall Monday evening. They had convened to vote on a plan to purchase a 0.1-acre plot of land on Russell Street right next to the Jepson construction site. City planners approved the purchase, which they said would allow for the installation of a traffic light.

The Committee also discussed the proposed purchase of a 150-foot stretch of land at 44 Russell St.. The land was needed to create a buffer zone between private residences and the $40 million facility, said building site coordinator Susan Weisselberg (pictured).

Alders expressed support for the both proposals, saying that land encroaching on school property could prove a liability. But in the absence of key board members — like Ward 16 Alderwoman Magdalia Castro, who arrived as the meeting was being adjourned — they were obliged to refer the decision for debate at an undetermined date.

Construction on the Benjamin Jepson School is slated for completion on Sept. 5. Serving grades K-8, the renovated magnet school will contain multi-purpose rooms, a library media center, and a specialized instructional spaces.

In other news, the Board of Education rescheduled a workshop on the future of New Haven public school system for mid-August.