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Alternative Education Opening Delayed By Zoning Issues

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Alternative Education Opening Delayed By Zoning Issues

By Larissa Lytwyn

After a costly oil spill last December, the district’s Alternative Education program was temporarily relocated to a room in the basement of Newtown Middle School.

Students quickly dubbed the small, windowless location “the dungeon.”

A permanent new location for the program was proposed this past spring in a new building being constructed adjacent to Newtown High School on Berkshire Road in Sandy Hook. But, Board of Education Secretary Andy Buzzi said during the school board’s August 17 meeting, the board submitted a proposal to the town’s Planning and Zoning commission to amend the property’s current business-only zoning regulation to accommodate a public education program.

The building is already set to house a private day care center.

Planning and Zoning will hold a public hearing on the issue on August 19 at 7:30 pm at Fairfield Hills’ Canaan House.

“[The commission] can potentially hold the hearing and then vote [to amend the zoning] that same evening, right?” asked board member Tom Gissen.

“It could happen,” affirmed Mr Buzzi.

Nonetheless, considering the number of contracted obligations that will still need to be fulfilled before the Alternative Education program can call the new building home, its students will not be in their new location by the time the 2004-05 school year starts on August 31.

“We hope to have [the Alternative Education] students in its new location by the end of September,” said Superintendent of Schools Evan Pitkoff.

In the meantime, he said, the Alternative Education students will begin the school year at its “old” interim location at Newtown Middle School.

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