Council Pressured To Act On 5/6 School

By Steve Bigham

Just a few days removed from the holidays, Newtown’s Legislative Council is already feeling the heat. The busy budget season isn’t scheduled to start until next month, but the council is faced with another big spending issue – a proposed new school for grades five and six.

Some 40 residents turned out for Wednesday’s meeting to urge the council to act swiftly and surely to approve the $2.6 million architectural fees and other first stage costs for construction of the proposed school. Superintendent of Schools John R. Reed said the town needs to begin moving now if a school is to be ready for students by September 2000.

And there need not be any discussion on the need for a new 5/6 school. It has long since been proven, noted Board of Education Chairman Elaine McClure.

“There’s just so many children,” she said.

The council is concerned, however, that it is being asked to approve funds to design a school that doesn’t yet have a site. The Board of Education is hoping the new school will be built along Wasserman Way near Watertown Hall. A final site will not be determined until the redevelopment of Fairfield Hills is resolved.

Dr Reed said there is no reason to “pre-suppose” that the town can not hire an architect simply because there is no definite school site. He called it a complex undertaking, but one that can be done. According to the architectural firm of Jeter, Cook and Jepson of Hartford, the first 30 to 60 days of design work can move along even without a school site, and without an overlap in cost. After that, however, site design work would begin and an actual site would need to be determined.

The council, which just received its 5/6 school financial impact statements this week, is slated to discuss the $2.6 million proposal at its January 19 meeting. Council Chairman Pierre Rochman said the meeting may be held at the middle school auditorium to accommodate the anticipated crowd.