Stonington - It will cost between $45 million and $113 million to upgrade the town's aging elementary schools, according to cost estimates presented to the K-12 School Building Committee on Thursday night by its architect.

Those costs would be decreased to between $33 million and $85 million because of state reimbursement. They could be lowered even more because of savings in utilities, maintenance and personnel costs, as well as revenue from the possible sale or lease of four current buildings.

The committee spent 2½ hours reviewing the estimates Thursday in advance of its public forum scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Pawcatuck Middle School.

The committee's plan is to then select an option and hold a referendum vote so the district can apply for state reimbursement by the June deadline. The cost would be bonded over 20 years.

James Barrett, a principal in Drummey Rosane Anderson, outlined five options and their costs Thursday. Option A, or the so-called "Do Nothing" option, calls for maintaining the current six schools and central office and spending $24 million on "reactive maintenance" such as the recent emergency repairs to fix the leaky roof at Deans Mill School. Option B calls for making $20 million in proactive repairs. Neither option would upgrade the schools.

Option C called for closing West Broad Street School, expanding West Vine Street School and renovating both West Vine Street and Deans Mill schools. This would cost $45 million, with $12 million is state reimbursement, lowering the cost to $33 million.

Option D includes Option C and relocating the central office to one of the schools. This would cost $47 million but state reimbursement would drop the cost to $34 million.

Option E, which is the one favored by the school board, calls for building a new middle school, closing the three elementary schools and the central office and renovating the middle schools for the elementary students, at a cost of $113 million. With $28 million in state reimbursement, the cost would drop to $85 million.

Included in that estimate is up to $11 million for work to prepare a site for the new school behind the high school. Other potential sites at West Vine Street School and just east of the high school on Route 1 would have less site costs.

Superintendent of Schools Van Riley pointed out that renovating the middle schools is something the town is going to face in the next 10 to 15 years. He also said selling or leasing the four closed buildings would offset the cost of a new school and closing them would save an estimated $10 million over the 20 years of the bond. Barrett said moving the elementary students into the middle schools without renovations in an effort to lower the cost would result in smaller classrooms than the students have now but more gym and cafeteria space.

"But that's not taking care of the elementary students, which is what we started out doing. We don't want to go backwards with classroom size," said committee member June Strunk.

When committee Chairman Rob Marseglia raised the idea of setting a price tag and designing a project to meet that cost, committee member Bill Sternberg disagreed.

"That's the mistake this town has made over the past 50 years. That's why we have the school buildings we have. It's going at it backwards," he said.

The committee plans to determine the impact the project would have on the tax rate. Some of that impact is expected to be offset by the fact the town will be retiring some of its other debt as the elementary school bond comes on line.

j.wojtas@theday.com

Twitter: @joewojtas