East Lyme — More than 50 residents attended a community forum Wednesday on a proposal endorsed by the school board to completely renovate Niantic Center School, build a new Flanders Elementary School and give the Lillie. B Haynes School building to the town.

Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Newton said the proposed plan entails two elementary schools, each with about a 400-student capacity, that feature flexible learning spaces, geothermal heating and cooling, and enhanced safety features.

The completely renovated 70,671-square-foot Niantic Center School would include a new gym and additional parking spaces and would house first-graders and kindergarteners on the first floor, according to the presentation.

Flanders School, which would be rebuilt as a 82,135-square-foot building behind the existing school, would have new parking, bus and drop-off areas. It also would accommodate pre-kindergarten classes for students in the district with special needs.

The project would cost the town an estimated $58,713,124 after state reimbursement, based on a timeline in which the project is approved at a March 2016 referendum.

He said the school district will save $750,000 in its annual operating budgets by going from the current three schools to a two-school plan.

If the project is approved at a referendum in March 2016, the two-year process of construction could begin in July 2017 and finish in the summer of 2019, according to the presentation.

Newton said the plan allows construction of both buildings to happen simultaneously and minimizes disruption to students by using “swing space.” Niantic Center students would attend Lillie B. Haynes for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years, while Flanders students would stay in the existing Flanders building.

Newton said that committees have been studying what to do with the town’s three aging elementary schools that face declining enrollment and $22 million in repairs that wouldn’t be covered by state reimbursement.

He said a factor in ultimately selecting Niantic Center and Flanders as the particular schools for the two-school option was that the town would have many more options for the use of the Lillie B. Haynes building.

More than a dozen residents weighed in on the plan Wednesday evening.

Many spoke in favor of maintaining two campuses in town by having Flanders, which is near the high school, and keeping Lillie B. Haynes, which is near the middle school and the community center.

Andy Jolly-Ballantine said the Lillie B. Haynes site has the connection to the middle school, the senior center and the LEARN program that offers educational opportunities. He said both Flanders and Lillie B. Haynes have nearby natural environments that can be used educationally.

But others pointed out the benefits of Niantic Center School.

Resident Dawn Rodes said Niantic Center has given her children opportunities, including reading with the elderly at Crescent Point or visiting downtown, that makes them want to be more involved in the community.

Wednesday’s meeting was the first in a series of community forums on the proposal. The proposal will need to be approved by the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance before it goes to referendum.

k.drelich@theday.com

Twitter: @KimberlyDrelich