Windermere move on schedule; board members raise traffic and security concerns

District staff told the board the planned move of Windermere School into new facilities remains on schedule and will occur during winter break, with a professional-development day after the break for teachers to set up classrooms. "As of right now, everything is absolutely on schedule," Alicia (staff member) said, adding that the project manager for the contractor had been replaced and was positive about the timeline. Project logistics cited at the meeting include furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) delivery expected the first week of December and a planned gym-floor renovation next summer. A presenter reported the construction is about 64% spent to date and that the overall Windermere project remains approximately $1.7 million under budget. The board was told there had been a 106-day schedule extension tied to a roofing shortage but staff said the project team still expected to meet move-in timelines. Several board members raised safety concerns tied to increased public access and traffic flow around the new Windermere campus. Gary (board member) described locations where the town is installing campus "blue light" emergency call stations and said he had observed unsafe driver behavior near crosswalks by the middle school. Board members requested that the operations committee coordinate with town public works and the town administrator to examine traffic control measures and crosswalk lighting; Lenore (board member) asked that the district explore whether additional sidewalks, flashing crosswalk signs or other traffic-calming measures could be pursued with the town. Administrators said school-level staff will have designated work time to set up classrooms after the move and affirmed there was currently no delay to the winter-break move plan. The board did not take formal action; members asked staff to follow up with town officials and to include construction and safety updates in future operations committee meetings.