Groton — The Board of Education is seeking $1.48 million in capital improvement money for the next fiscal year to reconfigure the parking lot and entrance at one school and to remove asbestos and/or improve security at four others.

Superintendent Michael Graner discussed the projects Monday with the school board. 

Graner suggested asking the town for $1.27 million in capital projects for the coming fiscal year: $500,000 to design and build a new drive and entrance to Mary Morrisson Elementary School, and $770,000 to remove asbestos at Robert E. Fitch High School and S.B. Butler Elementary School.

Graner also recommended asking for $211,000 in capital money for the 2018 fiscal year to improve security at Northeast Academy and Catherine Kolnaski Magnet School.

But the school board decided the security improvements should be made sooner.

The board's request goes to the town manager next, to become part of the proposed capital improvement plan brought before the Town Council. 

It makes sense to remove asbestos from S.B. Butler, even if the school closes in several years, Graner said. Groton qualifies for 48 percent in state reimbursement for asbestos removal.

"We would get reimbursement for that work, whereas if we didn't do it and it were closed as a school, then the town would be responsible for 100 percent of that cost," said Sam Kilpatrick, director of facilities.

The proposed construction plan for the public schools would build one new middle school adjacent to Robert E. Fitch High School and two new elementary schools at the site of the existing middle schools, at a total cost of $192 million, or about $95 million to local taxpayers after state reimbursement.

S.B. Butler, Pleasant Valley, and Claude Chester elementary schools would be closed.

Graner said he told the state Department of Education that S. B. Butler might close, and was told the asbestos would have to be removed anyway.

The second large project would design and build a new parking area and entrance and exit for Mary Morrisson Elementary School.

The school has a single entrance and exit for buses and parents dropping off children, and cars sometimes get backed up.

"You don't have this safe pickup and drop-off place for children that is separate from the buses," Graner said.

The goal is to create a loop at Mary Morrisson, so that when parents or buses pull up to the school, they drop off children and proceed to a separate exit, Graner said.

The school board also wants to spend $84,000 to upgrade security at Northeast Academy and $127,000 to do the same at Catherine Kolnaski. Both schools opened in 2008.

"Groton has spent a lot of money on cameras, secure foyers, locking systems for doors," Kilpatrick said, adding, "This would just be continuing to upgrade those security issues."

d.straszheim@theday.com

Twitter: DStraszheim