Schools
Fairfield RTM Approves $3M for Roger Sherman Project (Again)
School located in a flood zone; project to be carried out in two phases in order to comply with FEMA regulations.
Following approvals by the and Board of Finance earlier this month, the Representative Town Meeting on Monday approved $3 million for the expansion and renovation of Roger Sherman Elementary School.
The project — which will be handled in two phases, the first starting this year and the second starting in 2013 — includes safety and security improvements to the administrative wing, the addition of a new space for special education, a new private space for a school psychologist, and a new, ADA-compliant nursing station. In addition it includes renovations to the school’s cafeteria/gym/assembly area, including more storage space and room for a second line in the school’s kitchen, among other improvements.
The RTM had initially approved $2.2 million for the project back in February, but bids from contractors , plus the scope of the project expanded with the addition of new ventilation systems for the classrooms, which are required under school building code. School officials say the project, which has been planned for more than a year, is necessary to improve operations at the school, which has seen overcrowding during the past several years as .
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In essence, Monday’s vote means the RTM added $755,456 to the original project budget to account for what town officials called “gross inaccuracies” in the bidding process.
Because the school is located in a flood zone, the project falls under FEMA regulations, which means the town can make upgrades to the building only if the cost for each project is less than half its assessed value (in the case of Sherman School, about $2 million). If a project exceeds that amount, FEMA regulations would force the town to upgrade the entire school to modern code.
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The town, however, has the option to phase out the work as a series of separate projects — as long as they are spaced apart by a period of two years. Therefore the second phase of the project, including the improvements to the kitchen/cafeteria/gym, will not begin until 2013.
Work on phase one, including the improvements to the administrative offices, is expected to begin late October or early November and is expected to be complete by August 2012.
