Ledyard Town Council votes to keep school construction projects on schedule
Ledyard — Following the legislature's decision to postpone reimbursement of the town's school building projects, leaving the town to either sign contracts for the $65 million project without obligated state money or delay the construction schedule, potentially costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, the Town Council voted unanimously Wednesday to continue the schedule.
"This is the least risk we're at right now, proceeding at risk," Councilor Tom Malone said, explaining that delays or ceasing the project could cost the town much more in the long run.
The projects were left off a combined bonding and school building construction bill that saw close to a billion dollars in debt removed and left town officials shocked that their project had been dropped from the list so late.
The town's Permanent Municipal Building Committee had been planning to send out the bid package in January 2017, accept bids and enter into contracts. In the spring, construction would begin and be ramped up during the summer when the students were gone, replacing heating and cooling systems and conducting asbestos abatement.
If the council chose to wait until July, when the reimbursement commitment from the state comes in, building committee Chairman Steven Juskiewicz estimated that costs would escalate about $120,000 per month, not including the additional costs of continuing to keep Ledyard Center School open.
State Sen. Cathy Osten arranged a meeting between members of Ledyard's building committee and members of the Department of Administrative Services, which oversees school construction grants.
Based on the opinions from state Reps. Mike France and John Scott, Finance Committee Chairman Fred Allyn III noted that the chance of the state not approving the money was very low.
Ledyard's officials were told that the project wasn't "shovel-ready" and that DAS had determined that the project could afford to wait another year before state reimbursement could begin.
Sen. Osten also solicited and received signatures from the leaders of both houses of the state legislature, as well as party minority leaders that the project would be on the bill in 2017.
Members of the finance committee were hopeful last week that the legislature would take up a bill at the start of the session in January to pass the project before the bids were scheduled to be accepted, though that could not be scheduled until after elections in November.
Mayor Finkelstein sent a letter this week to the town's representatives requesting the early bill.
Urging the council to stay on the schedule, Board of Education and building committee member Rebecca Graebner said delays would affect the budget.
"I appreciate the concern and caution you're taking with this terrible news we've gotten from the state ... we've got the short end of the stick," she said.
The building committee will meet next on July 11 in the Council Chambers of the Town Hall Annex Building.
Editor's Note: This article corrects the name of Town Councilor Tom Malone.
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