Updates on the Middle School Renovation and the New Police Station

The Municipal Building Committee met to discuss two very important constructions projects although neither of which are anywhere close to decided.

The Board of Education has yet to vote on the Middle School design although the drawings presented at the community forum seem to the starting point. What’s left is whether or not space for pre-kindergarten classes will be put into the middle school along with the sixth grade wing.

The pre-school program currently uses five classrooms in Gallup Hill School but those rooms will be needed in the future if Ledyard Center School is closed. In thinking ahead to that time, the board proposed adding the program to the Middle School, which is getting renovated anyway.

According to school board member Rebecca Graebner, the community forum prompted a considerable debate over including the pre-school program in the middle school, which was far off topic in a community forum intended to focus on moving the sixth grade out of the elementary schools.

“Our message is that we need a renovated middle school with a wing on it for sixth grade.” said board member Rebecca Graebner.

Graebner said the facilities committee and the school board are “still percolating” about what to do about the pre-school program but they were certain on one thing:

“The program will still continue and we’ll figure out the best place for it,” she said.

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The municipal building has narrowed down their prospective locations for the police station from four to two at Monday night’s meeting. Members agreed to have the architect draw up two conceptual site plans for a police station at the old Ledyard Center firehouse next to Town Hall and at the transfer station on Al Clarke Road (off Route 117).

The location next to the Town Hall drew the most comments with questions about parking, drainage, septic, etc. Many issues remain unknown especially if adding a police station there either restricts or prompts renovations to Town Hall and the Annex.

“He’ll identify all the issues with each site and then the next step would be to develop a price list,” said Steven Jaskiewicz.

The committee recommended that the architect present drawings within three weeks and the Municipal Building Committee meets again on Jan. 7, 2013.