Groton — Building one new middle school and renovating the town's two existing middle schools into elementary schools would cost about $164.4 million, of which about $69.6 million would be paid for by Groton taxpayers, a consultant reported Thursday.

The estimates, provided to the School Facilities Initiative Task Force, assume Groton would receive the maximum reimbursement from the state, including 80 percent for renovation of West Side Middle School, because the district is correcting a racial imbalance.

The new middle school is part of a larger plan to deal with Groton's aging schools, create racial balance in the district and make it more competitive with other school districts.

Under the plan, Carl C. Cutler Middle School and West Side Middle School would be renovated and converted into elementary schools for students in pre-kindergarten through grade 5. The district would close three elementary schools that need substantial renovation: Claude Chester, Pleasant Valley and S.B. Butler schools. Students in those schools would be reassigned.

Educational consultants Milone & MacBroom and SLAM, an engineering, architecture and construction management firm, developed the cost estimates for the total project.

The new middle school would cost about $81.4 million, with a net cost to Groton of about $43.8 million after state reimbursement, the consultants' report said.

Renovating West Side and converting it to an elementary school would cost about $43.6 million, with a net cost to Groton of about $9.1 million. Renovating Carl C. Cutler Middle School into an elementary school would cost about $39.4 million, with a cost to Groton of about $16.6 million. Both new elementary schools would accommodate 632 students in grades pre-kindergarten through 5.

If the plan is approved by voters at referendum, work on the new middle school would begin in March 2017 and be completed two years later, at the end of February 2019. Renovations to the two existing middle schools would then begin in April 2019 and be finished in early August 2020, for the start of the 2020-21 school year.

Groton would remove portable classrooms, including two each at Mary Morrisson and Charles Barnum elementary schools, said Mike Zuba, of Milone & MacBroom.

Keeping the old schools going would also have a cost, he said. Groton would need to spend about $27.9 million to bring its two middle schools up to code and replace existing portables, and about $27.2 million to bring its Claude Chester, Pleasant Valley and S.B. Butler up to code.

"There is a very considerable cost of maintaining status quo," Zuba said.

At least one task force member pointed out that the schools do not technically violate building or fire code, because they are allowed to operate as they are.

But Wes Greenleaf, former school facilities director and task force member, said safety is at issue.

The schools don't have rescue windows or sprinklers. Also, fire alarms are in the hallways and not in all classrooms, he said.

"Anybody that thinks that we should ignore these codes doesn't get the full picture," Greenleaf said. He added later in the discussion that "fire alarm systems that you can't hear in a classroom? You can't possibly tell me that's safe."

The schools' maintenance lists were written in 1996 and deferred repeatedly, he said. The district could end up spending money and "wind up with a fixed-up, old building."

d.straszheim@theday.com

Twitter: @DStraszheim