File Photo
BOE meets at Walsh Intermediate School
Superintendent Hamlet Hernandez reported at last week’s Board of Education meeting that he and First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove had met with state Reps. Lonnie Reed and Sean Scanlon and state Sen. Ted Kennedy Jr. regarding the progress of the Walsh Intermediate School renovation project. The project has now been listed on a priority list.
The underlying issue, all understood, was the uncertainty about the state budget and possible cuts to 49 projected school project grants across the state totaling $450,469,953. The estimated project costs for all 49 projects totaled $778,306,838.
In an interview State Rep. Lonnie Reed (D‑102) said the Branford delegation “is fighting hard for the funds on behalf of the town.” However, it is clear from prior comments from the Governor’s office on education funding that finding funds for major projects is not easy in the current economic climate.
Hernandez told the Eagle prior to the meeting that the town’s application for reimbursement funds has been placed on the state’s school construction “priority category list,” which consists of the 49 school projects across the state. However, Hernandez did not discuss expected reimbursement to the town, saying it was “premature” to talk about cuts, if any.
A dollar amount for grant reimbursement has not been determined. The original anticipated amount is around $33 million. The latest office of state School Construction grants list, outlined to the Governor in a letter in December, shows Branford’s town’s grant to be estimated at $30.3 million and the project’s costs at $85.9 million rather than $88.2 million. The BOE’s new 6,052-square-feet offices at Walsh are listed separately at $2.2 million, with a $400,000 grant to the town.
Hernandez said the legislators were the “eyes and ears given the state situation.” He said the project was “on schedule” and that there was “no reason to suspect the project is being delayed in any way, shape, or form.” The meeting with legislators was held in Town Hall.
BOE chair Michael Krause said earlier this month that the state budget shortfall will have “no effect” on Walsh, that it was already part of the governor’s budget. However, the Governor’s budget has yet to be disclosed. It is expected in February.
Space Waiver for Walsh
“All is going fine with the space waiver,” school officials said, adding that a “good percentage” has been approved with more expected. The space waiver takes into account the existing space within the square-footage/enrollment formula mandated by the state reimbursement.
Hernandez said a public hearing updating Walsh will take place on Feb. 6 (time and location to be determined) with the owner’s representative, Colliers International, and the architect, Antinozzi. He said it will be the first of two, possibly, three sessions, adding that a website will be created on the project.
The Walsh Intermediate school renovation is one of the most expensive projects on the school construction priority list and the costliest project in Branford’s history. The most expensive project on the priority list came in at $90 million for the Groton Consolidated Middle School.
Greenwich School Removed from List
In terms of grants, the New Lebanon Elementary School in Greenwich, was supposed to be designed to be a magnet school to bring New Lebanon into state-mandated racial balance. Currently its make-up is nearly 70 percent Hispanic and African ‑American, with about a 30 percent white population. The new school had been designed as a magnet school to attract students from other neighborhoods to better balance racial diversity.
It was on the list to receive a $29.8 million grant towards a $37.3 million cost. The grant was potentially significant for a school whose enrollment is about 264 students. It was also significant when it came to funds for other schools.
However, late yesterday, Commissioner Melody Currey of the Department of Administrative Services, alerted officials across the state that she had removed the pre‑K to 5th grade elementary school from the list. One reason was declining enrollment in the district. She did so by letter.
“Based on my review of the enrollment changes affecting not only the grant school, but all of the elementary schools in the district (excluding parochial and other private schools), I recommend removing this project from the list and working with Greenwich and the State Department of Education to determine their actual programmatic needs and to determine more cost effective means to meet those needs,” Currey wrote.
Value Engineering List
Sally E. Bahner Photo
At January’s Public Building Commission meeting (pictured), members discussed a list of 21 “value engineering” items and their costs regarding the Walsh renovation project, totaling approximately $3.5 million, according to Charles Warrington of Colliers.
The list was comprised of various structural elements unrelated to educational specifications; they are “hard costs,” related to the building itself. A cost savings was assigned to each item on the list. The Eagle calculated the savings at approximately $2.7 million and requested the itemized list with dollar amounts, but that has not been provided despite requests.
According to the General Services Administration, value engineering analyzes designed building features, systems, equipment, and material selections to achieve essential functions at the lowest cost consistent with required performance, quality, reliability, and safety. In other words, these are items that can be eliminated or modified to save money on a project.
Among the value engineering items are: reducing the square footage of concrete walkways, reducing of parking areas, use of lighter weight steel columns in the overhang of the new addition’s loading dock area, reduction of the roof railings and the height of the roof screens on the rooftop designed to mask HVAC units, simplifying the pattern of exterior panels, reconfiguring the design of the exterior “battens” that provide visual interest, adjusting roofing materials to match existing roofing materials, reduction of the amount of glass in canopies in the cafeteria area and bus drop off, reusing eight exterior doors since they were relatively new, keeping operable partitions in eighth grade area only and elimination of a partition in the project area/reading room (using furniture instead), elimination of skylights and light wells, elimination of a wood wainscot connecting two floors and adjusting the materials used in a wood ceiling to a wood-look alternative, keeping the scoreboard and backboard within the gym (perhaps replacing them over time), eliminating the photovoltaic panels, replacing a section of higher-end flooring with high-quality vinyl, replacing 10,000 square feet of granite curbing with concrete.
The pros and cons of each item were discussed by commission members before they decided to retain several they considered important to the renovation. Those items included retaining the skylight and light wells, replace rather than reuse of exterior doors due to wear and tear during construction, replace scoreboards and backboards, and reduction of roof screens by 50 percent.
Branford Families
Sally E. Bahner Photo
The board heard a presentation by Celia Toche of Branford Families, who described her organization as “professional development” for parents, grandparents, parent figures, and caregivers. She said there’s a need for conversation within the community, and that more than 400 people are on their list from churches, schools, and sports organizations.
Upcoming events will focus on communication within the family, technology, new schools and transition, and the outdoors. More information can be found on its Facebook page, BranfordFamilies.
The organization works in conjunction with the Branford Early Childhood Collaborative and expects to apply for non-profit status.
The board then went into executive session to discuss various items.
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