Funding Delayed For

Waterline To High School

By Tanjua Damon

Disappointment was evident Tuesday night as Newtown Board of Education members were notified that funding for the waterline to the high school could be delayed because the state did not approve a budget before the end of June.

Newtown Public Schools Director of Business Ronald Bienkowski informed the board that the funding will likely be delayed because the Bonding Commission’s meeting that was scheduled for June 28 was cancelled because there was not a budget in place. Its July meeting was also cancelled. The earliest Newtown expects to be on the Bonding Commission’s agenda is August 30.

Trumbull Construction Company has been slated to do the waterline project, according to Mr Bienkowski. Even if the funding had been approved by the state commission, Trumbull Construction is currently working on another job and probably would not be able to start until September.

“It’s been a real challenge to provide all the necessary paperwork to the state for this project,” Mr Bienkowski said. “We were right on track and thought the two projects went hand in hand with each other beautifully. It is unfortunate that the delayed approval of the state budget had a direct consequence for us.”

A town meeting was held at the end of June giving local officials authorization to gain funding to bring the waterline to the high school. The cost of the project is approximately $516,000. The Board of Education applied for a low-interest loan from the state to pay for the project. The State Drinking Water Fund lends school districts money at half the prime lending rate, which school officials figure would be around 2.66 percent. But the district will have to wait and see when the Bonding Commission is expected to meet again. The district hopes to know this by the end of July. The 20-year loan does not begin to be repaid until one year following the end of construction.

The waterline is needed at the high school to provide potable drinking water at the school and to irrigate the new athletic complex, which is currently being constructed. It will connect to United Water of Connecticut’s waterline at Route 34 to Newtown High School and several adjacent residential properties on Oakview Road.