Marcia Chambers Photo
It looks like the former Branford Hills Elementary School, which was built in 1955, is slated for demolition rather than renovation.
The school’s impending fate was disclosed in an agenda that was posted late last week for a special meeting of the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) on March 25. It lists a series of resolutions regarding bonds for various town projects. The Board of Finance, which is now conducting budget hearings for 2015 – 16, will vote on the bonding issues on March 23.
One RTM agenda item is a proposed appropriation of $560,000 for the demolition of the Branford Hills School. The town owns the building but has not yet voted on whether or not to demolish the building, or what the future holds for the site. But the $560,000 demolition item is in the town budget.
First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove said for now the plan is to turn the property into a park and perhaps some ball fields.
The 60-year-old one-story Branford Hills School houses 10 classrooms and sits on about 13 acres. It was last used as an elementary school in 1991.
In 2013, the Board of Education (BOE) proposed renovating and expanding the building to replace the aging Sliney Elementary School. Since at least 2012, the BOE made several requests to replace the leaky roof but those funds were never approved by the RTM.
File Photo
The photo above shows a wet floor at the Branford Hills School and buckets lined up to catch dripping water in 2012.
Also on the RTM agenda for March 25 is a proposal calling for $500,000 for the planning and design phase of renovations at the Branford Community House. Plans calls for renovating and expanding the recreation center to also house the Senior Center.
Jim Finch, the town’s finance director, will provide a review of the new bonding plan to the BOF. The plan will allow the town to issue approximately $17.4 million in bonds, replace prior bonds and add about $6.8 million for new projects, including Harbor Street culvert improvements, a sewage pump station rehabilitation and the dredging of Stony Creek, among others.
Wrecking Ball for School?
In an interview with the Eagle, Cosgrove said he hired DTC Engineers of Hamden to do an assessment of the Branford Hills School and received a draft report from the company last September. So did the Board of Education.
“We had heard about the condition of the building,” Cosgrove told the Eagle. “A consultant never actually did an assessment of the structure itself. I hired somebody who provided the town with a report. From that report it is clear there is virtually nothing really salvageable in the building, plumbing, electrical, windows, heating, and mechanicals.”
When asked what the property might be used for if the building is demolished, Cosgrove said, “The property is nice. My feeling now is that area is underserved by any park so we have an idea of what to use that property for — a park, practice fields for lacrosse, soccer.”
Cosgrove said the building is now a liability.
When asked if there might be a new school there someday, Finch said “by demolishing it, you start with a blank canvas.”
School Reverts to Town?
Branford Hills School is currently owned by the town but it is under the school district’s jurisdiction. At a recent BOE meeting, there was mention that the board should discuss returning the building to the town since it was no longer being used for staff development sessions or after-school programs.
The RTM agenda was posted before the school district took any action regarding the Branford Hills School.
BOE chair Michael Krause told the Eagle that the board will address the issue tomorrow at its March 18th meeting.
“The board is going to be voting on whether to turn the building back over to the town,” Krause said. The agenda listing puts it this way: “Rededication of Branford Hills School to the Town of Branford.”
“The building is basically falling apart,” Krause said. “We’re not using it in any form right now.” He said the building has needed a new roof for a number of years but that the town refused to approve funding requested by the BOE.
The Eagle asked what happened to the BOE’s plans to renovate the school and build an addition for use by the students who currently attend the John Sliney Elementary School, which was built in 1928.
“The Branford Hills building is in such bad shape it would not make sense to renovate it,” Krause said. “The building is just about worthless,” he said, adding that the roof has continued to deteriorate. He said costs to maintain the building were escalating.
When asked about the future of the former school, Krause said “basically we turn over control of the building to the town and then it is town property.”
Krause said there has been no action on the BOE’s request for major school renovations; they hope to discuss the projects with the town at some point.
The BOE’s requests for funding to replace the roof were denied from 2012 through 2014. The capital budget for the 2015 – 16 school year did not request any funds for Branford Hills. Click here to read a story about the RTM’s unanimous decision to cut the $350,000 roof allocation from the budget in 2012. At that time, the RTM said they would not approve a new roof because a study of various town-owned buildings was underway.
School Renovation Plans
When the BOE’s Facilities Committee held a public meeting at Branford Hills School in 2012, the site was being used for after-school programs and for staff development sessions. Another room was unusable because rain was leaking through the roof.
File Photo
The Facilities Committee was formed in 2012 to look at whether it would be better to renovate or rebuild Walsh Intermediate School and Sliney Elementary School. Frank Carrano, who chaired the BOE at that time, was spearheading the efforts. Some suggestions discussed at that meeting were renovating Branford Hills for use by pre-kindergarten or kindergarten classes, and then moving the fifth grade classes back to the elementary schools. Other options were renovating Branford Hills or tearing it down to build a new Sliney. Click here to read about that meeting.
The BOE voted unanimously in May 2013 to recommend major renovations to both Walsh Intermediate School and the former Branford Hills Elementary School. Click here to read that story.
The board hired the architectural firm of Silver/Petrucelli & Associates to conduct a feasibility study in 2013 of options for Walsh and Sliney Elementary School. Click here to read that story. Two options for the elementary school involved either renovating Sliney School, or renovating and expanding the former Branford Hills School. The board chose the latter option.
Architect David Stein said it would be easier to renovate and expand Branford Hills rather than trying to renovate Sliney. He said Sliney has extensive asbestos in the walls which would have to be removed in order to renovate. Stein said the Branford Hills project would be “fairly simple” and a two-story addition would add 22 classrooms.
“Good Bones”
The feasibility study stated it could cost $109.8 million to renovate and expand Walsh Intermediate School — an estimated $97 million after state reimbursement. The estimated cost to renovate and expand the former Branford Hills Elementary School could cost $32.7 million, with the town’s share being $27 million after state reimbursement. The combined tally later rose to about $150.7 million, which would be offset by about $25 million in state reimbursement.
During a presentation before the BOF in Oct, 2013, architect Bill Silver said Branford Hills and Walsh buildings both had “good bones and good structure.”
At that October 2013 meeting, the BOF said it would need to assess and prioritize the school projects along with the town’s need for a new public works facility and a new senior center. Click here to read that story.
No action has taken place on the school proposals, and there are no current proposal to replace the public works building, which is housed in a rental facility and is subject to flooding.
Senior Center Advances
A town commission tasked to oversee proposed building projects was approved by the RTM last June. The BOS appointed members in January, and the Public Building Commission held its first meeting in late February. According to the ordinance which created the commission, projects will be assigned to the commission by the first selectman.
Cosgrove recently announced he is sending the senior center project to the Public Building Commission as its first project. Click here to read that story.
He also said he would be making a request for funds to the BOF and the RTM for funds for the design phase. That is what is happening now.
Bond Issue Overview
Finch also said in a recent interview that “We are funding $8 million plus in debt service this year; we did $8 million ($8.2) last year.” Cosgrove told the Eagle he was pleased with the aggressive reductions of debt service.
“By refunding the debt now, the town has taken the opportunity to add projects we might have added in the fall,” Finch said. “We can make capital improvements, restructure our debt and save funds. And we are positioning ourselves for the long term, for future capital needs of the town.”
What the town is not doing in this bond restructuring is providing funding for a new public works building or for previously discussed school renovation projects.
Marcia Chambers contributed reporting for this story.
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