WESTPORT — When the town’s 5,000 public school students return to the classroom on Tuesday, Aug. 30, some will be learning under a new roof.

Others will be greeted by re-paved parking lots, power-washed buildings or new modular classrooms.

In all, the school district’s Facilities Department and town Department of Public Works have overseen 82 projects — when American Rescue Plan Act-funded playground equipment is factored in — across the district’s eight schools, the Board of Education’s Finance and Facilities Committee was told Friday.

Everything on the list is completed or in progress, Supt. of Schools Thomas Scarice told committee members Liz Heyer, the chairwoman, and Robert Harrington. Committee member Kevin Christie was absent.

In what promises to be the first “normal” school year since 2019 pre-dating the COVID-19 pandemic, Scarice told the committee he already is looking ahead to propose a change in the approval process for annual capital projects and maintenance projects to help both the school district and town.

“We have a plan, but the timing is off,” Scarice said. “If we want to maximize the summer, we have to have shovels in the ground when kids leave school.” Having funding approvals in place in advance helps in that regard.

The proposal, which the full school board will consider at its Monday, Aug. 29 meeting, would move the capital funding request timeline from late winter and early spring to October or November. 

Scarice also wants requests to be bundled rather than made project by project. Variable message signs around town, including this one on Easton Road, urge drivers to slow down because the new academic year starts Tuesday. / Photo by Thane Grauel

“I realize that that is a change in practice, yet these changes would increase the likelihood of success in executing the capital forecast,” Scarice said.

He called for the process to be fully transparent, and for the board to clearly separate capital projects from maintenance projects.

If the full school board approves the proposed timeline change, it would then go to the Board of Finance and Representative Town Meeting for consideration.

“Monday night is a good place to start,” said Harrington.

Nancy Kail, a District 9 RTM member in the audience, said she favors the proposed changes.

New roof at Saugatuck Elementary School

As for this summer’s infrastructure projects, Ted Hunyadi, the school district’s facilities director, said the one he is most pleased about is the new roof for Saugatuck Elementary School.

“I won’t get calls about water incursions and leaks,” Hunyadi said. “That’s a huge thing for me and my department.”

One of two planned roofing projects in the district, the $1.5 million job at Saugatuck Elementary School is about 95 percent complete, officials say.

Elio Longo, the school district’s chief financial officer, said the project went well and was aided by Colliers International, a firm hired by the district to manage projects, which warehoused materials as they became available while nationwide supply-chain issues persist.

The district plans to redo the Staples High School roof next summer and expects to seek bids on the project within the next two weeks. Because of the scope of that project, the Staples roof may take two summers to complete.

Last year, cost of the project was estimated at about $5 million.

Modular classrooms at Coleytown Elementary School

Two modular classrooms have been installed at Coleytown Elementary School to handle growing enrollment, and will be ready to use by Sept. 15, Scarice said.

The installation was not without challenges, but will not preclude the classrooms from being issued certificates of occupancy, Scarice added.

The new classrooms will help the school accommodate both Coleytown and Stepping Stones pre-school students while planning continues to renovate or replace Long Lots Elementary School. Once that project is complete, plans call for Stepping Stones to move to Long Lots.

Testing for fate of Long Lots Elementary School

Soil boring tests done this summer on the Long Lots’ Hyde Lane property came up with nothing alarming, according to John Koplas, a senior project manager with Colliers. The water table is not an issue, he added.

“In our opinion, the ground water will be sufficiently below the building ground floor slab,” Koplas said.

In the spring, neighbors expressed concerns that a proposal to build a new Long Lots at the northern edge of the 28-acre site would aggravate area drainage issues. 

Scarice said the study is one of four underway or planned to advance his recommendation that a new Long Lots building be constructed and ready to open by September 2026.

Another environmental study is expected by the end of next week.

Cost estimates of the Long Lots project, depending on the final decision on whether to renovate the existing structure or build a new one, have ranged from $80 million to $102 million.

A November enrollment forecast will be key to determining how big the school needs to be and how much the state will contribute. And a draft educational specifications report, which dictates the programming in the school, is due sometime in September.

“There are a lot of balls in the air right now,” Scarice said.

Others are a town building committee that has not yet been named, as well as a second opinion sought by the town to determine if new construction is really the way to go.

Once named, the building committee takes over many decisions on Long Lots’ future, although eligibility for state reimbursement is key to deciding whether to renovate or build new.

Heyer sought assurances that environmental studies will provide useful information even if it’s determined the best course of action is to renovate the existing 1953 structure. She was told that the findings will be.

Harrington said he has common-sense concerns about building the new school on the edge of the campus just so the existing school can remain open during construction.

“I don’t want to build a school in a location just because it helps next four years of instruction,” Harrington said. “I want to build a campus in the right place.”

Landscaping will need more “green”

Students will return to mowed and weed-free school grounds, but that comes at a higher price, the committee was told.

A contracted landscaping service that once cost the district $96,000 a year now will cost up to $160,000, and could go even higher. The current contractor told school officials in June it can no longer sustain the current pricing model, Hunyadi told the committee.

Heyer asked if district officials could check if lawn care could be assumed by the town, such as paving.

Other projects: Parking lots paved, painting, cameras, dehumidifier & more

Parking lots were paved this summer at Staples High and Bedford Middle schools. 

Bedford also will have an “outdoor challenge course” installed, while windows have been sealed to prevent leaks and interior painting done in multiple areas.

Staples also got window sealing.                      

At Coleytown Middle School, work included some interior painting and the installation of a challenge course is scheduled.

Saugatuck, in addition to its new roof, had the clock system upgraded, masonry repairs and interior painting in several areas.

Long Lots had a desiccant dehumidifier installed, work to the gym floor and interior classroom painting.

At Kings Highway Elementary School there was exterior power washing, interior water leak repairs, some interior painting and installation of playground equipment scheduled.

Greens Farms Elementary School had interior cameras installed, exterior fence repair and some interior painting.

Coleytown Elementary is getting its public address system upgraded, new unit ventilators in some rooms and exterior canopy painting, as well as two modular classroom.

All school playgrounds were inspected. 

A complete list of repairs completed, underway or scheduled at Westport’s public schools can be found by clicking here.

Freelance writer Linda Conner Lambeck, a reporter for more than four decades at the Connecticut Post and other Hearst publications, is a member of the Education Writers Association.

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