$34 million plan to update East Lyme schools ready to debut
East Lyme — With the town's elementary school enrollment now projected to increase, school officials are planning to roll out a recommendation to upgrade all three of the district's elementary schools.
The East Lyme Public Schools Elementary Facilities Design Steering Committee, which has been working on the recommendation, reviewed at its meeting Thursday afternoon conceptual design estimates for alterations to the three schools — about $34 million worth before state reimbursement.
The Board of Education is slated to receive the proposal in early January. The committee is planning community presentations, with question and answer sessions, and a joint meeting of the boards of education, selectmen and finance.
Of the $34 million, some expenses, such as the costs of windows and security upgrades, would be eligible for state reimbursement, Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Newton said in an interview after the meeting.
The proposed upgrades for the three schools include the installation of new air conditioning in all classrooms and the cafeteria, media center and main office; security system upgrades; Wi-Fi upgrades; and additions for handicapped accessibility, including new bathroom fixtures, Board of Education Chairman Tim Hagen said after the meeting.
The proposed alterations further include the replacement of floors, suspended ceilings, light fixtures, and doors, among other building improvements.
In addition to the upgrades across the board, specific alterations are proposed for each school, Hagen said, including reconfiguring the drop-off area at Lillie B. Haynes Elementary School; replacing the roof at Flanders Elementary School; and conducting exterior masonry work, replacing the boiler, and fixing up the gym at Niantic Center School.
The Board of Education is slated to hear a full presentation on the recommendation and discuss it at its meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 9.
If the proposal is approved by the Board of Education, Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance at later meetings, the proposal could go to referendum as early as March, according to a tentative schedule. If voters approve, construction could begin in June 2018, which would allow a year for planning, Hagen said.
The project wouldn't be completed until at least September 2019, depending on how work is being phased and other logistics.
Revised enrollment projections presented by the New England School Development Council to the school board in November show an uptick in the town's elementary school population over the next decade. Projections presented to the board in 2014 anticipated a decline in elementary school enrollment.
Meanwhile, the East Lyme Public Schools Redistricting Ad-hoc Committee is continuing to study the option of redistricting the town's elementary schools as early as next year, Newton said. The ad-hoc committee is next scheduled to meet Wednesday.
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.
