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Board hears $700,000 in summer facilities work; three projects set for November referendum
Summary
District officials reviewed roughly $700,000 of completed summer maintenance and repairs, outlined additional ongoing replacements and said three capital items — turf replacement, a high‑school loading dock and a CHS fire alarm upgrade — will be placed on a November referendum.
The Cheshire school district told the Board of Education on Sept. 4 that facilities staff completed about $700,000 in summer projects and that three capital items will be presented to voters in November. Emily Taylor said the summer portfolio included partial roof work at Dodd, a cafetorium ceiling replacement, a boiler replacement and other projects that totaled about $700,000. “We have 3 board of ed items going to referendum for the capital projects. We have the turf, we have the loading dock at the high school, and then we have the fire alarm system at Cheshire High School,” she said. Taylor itemized costs presented in the meeting: about $233,000 for a partial roof replacement at Dodd; $150,000 for the cafetorium ceiling work; $121,000 for a boiler replacement; $21,000 for a sink replacement at Cheshire High School; and $150,000 for asbestos abatement tied to flooring work, plus a $17,000 fire sprinkler replacement at Doolittle. She said other districtwide projects remain underway because of supply delays (doors on back order) and that district roof access ladder work is roughly 60% complete. Board members discussed the turf question and timing. Multiple members advocated for voter support and noted the district will plan replacement work to take advantage of a long summer next year to minimize athletic disruption. Council and town budget actions were referenced: board members said the council had approved $800,000 for turf replacement in council discussions; the turf item will still appear on the public referendum ballot for voter approval. Administrators also briefed the board on furniture, fixtures and equipment planning for the new Norton and Barnum buildings, salvage and reuse of serviceable equipment from existing schools, and winterization concerns for facilities that will revert to the town after the opening of new buildings. The board did not take a formal vote on any of the referendum items during the meeting; the items were presented for information and to alert board members and the public ahead of the November ballot process.
