BOE Recommends Hybrid Option for Next Gen Walsh

The Board of Education presented the town with a holiday gift Wednesday night: Its recommendations for design and educational specifications for the Walsh Intermediate School based on the feasibility study done by DTC/Perkins Eastman of Stamford. The cost to the town is about $55 million.

Throughout the discussions, the board has favored Option 3, a hybrid option that includes a new two-story academic wing and retains the current gyms and pool. And that is what they recommended. It was noted that this option would ensure the best safety for students during construction and provide enough space to accommodate classroom shifts during construction. Click here for details about the other options.

The board also added its list of educational specifications, compiled from its own members, teachers, and the public. There was discussion and clarification of each of them before the final recommendation. These are items that will be reimbursed by the state.

The cost for the school itself is expected to be approximately $83.2 million. Add to that the cost of the educational specifications – $5 million – and the total recommended amount is $88.2 million, pre-reimbursement. Reimbursement from the state is pegged at 36 percent, which brings the cost to the town down to $55 million.

BOE chair Michael Krause thanked the board for their work. ​“This is one of the biggest projects the town has taken on,” he said. ​“The input of public has been instrumental” in developing the educational specifications. He said that the hybrid option would qualify for maximum state reimbursement and was the most cost effective.

Educational specs added to design

The board approved various educational specifications to be added to DTC/Perkins Eastman’s original feasibility study, noting that they are all part of a well-rounded education. In addition, they have a direct effect on programming, and thus are reimbursable. They include the following:

• A sloped-floor auditorium
• Eight common rooms – two per grade
• A bigger science lab area
• Fitness/dance/movement/performance areas. It was noted that the activities in these areas serve as alternatives to sports.
• An additional orchestra room (for a total of two)
• A media center as an extension of the library with areas to collaborate on research projects
• A special services room to accommodate social and special education needs
• A larger video studio with design-maker labs
• A larger nurses’ clinic area
• Administrative/secretarial support area with storage
• A larger guidance area to ensure privacy

There was extensive discussion on sports-related projects that were proposed and how they might be incorporated into the new facility. These items are not reimbursable and it was suggested that they be presented to the Board of Finance separately in the future.

Those suggestions included a synthetic turf playing field to replace the existing one, all-weather track, illumination of the fields, a bubble (cover) over the tennis courts, and a new baseball field.

Krause stressed the importance of being fiscally responsible. He noted that these items are also used by the public and may be a part of the newly acquired Foote Park. 

Joseph Costa of DTC/Perkins Eastman assured the board that repairs would be made to any fields compromised during the construction process.

The recommendations will next go to the Board of Finance, the Representative Town Meeting, and the Board of Selectmen. The intermediate school opened in 1972.
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