Norwalk school construction moves forward; South Norwalk faces short switchgear delay, high school on multi‑year schedule

District construction staff and facilities leaders told the Facilities Committee on March 26 that major building work continues at South Norwalk School and at the new Norwalk High School, but a manufacturer delay for key electrical equipment creates a near‑term schedule risk for the South Norwalk project.

Why it matters: both projects are high‑value capital investments for the district. Delays or change orders can affect state reimbursement, city and district contingency budgets, and the timing for student occupancy.

Construction status and timeline updates Dan Jones, construction staff for Norwalk Public Schools, showed photos and progress notes for each project. For South Norwalk School, staff reported that one portion of the building had rooftop units set and insulation and drywall underway; council and state approvals for demolition of adjacent Oxford properties were complete and demolition and grading were in progress. Jones said the construction team had set an internal milestone to reconfirm by April 30 whether the project remains on track for occupancy for the fall 2025 semester.

Risk: switchgear delay Alan Lowe, facilities staff, told the committee that the project recently encountered a manufacturing delay for the building’s main switching gear (the primary electrical switchgear) and that delivery was running about two to three months late. He said staff were pursuing options — including temporary service staging and additional pressure on the supplier and distributor — but that the district may not have final confirmation on schedule risk until the end of April. Lowe described the situation candidly: “there’s a delay by the manufacturer about 2, 3 months.”

Norwalk High progress and phasing Jones outlined work at Norwalk High School (the multi‑year project). He said metal decking and elevated slabs were in progress across multiple zones, cranes have been moved to successive planned locations, and slab‑on‑grade pours and underground conduit work were ongoing. Staff stated that the first section of the new high school is scheduled to open for students in fall 2027 and the entire project — including demolition of the existing building and site development (parking and athletic field) — is scheduled for completion in fall 2028.

Budget and reimbursement notes Staff reiterated that many contracts still require later bidding (demolition, furniture and fixtures) and that the project anticipates typical contingency and partial additional requests for state reimbursement. Lowe and Jones said South Norwalk and the new high school receive higher percentages of state reimbursement for eligible categories (staff reported 80% reimbursement for one category and noted the district is now using a revised 60% city reimbursement rate for another category on recent projects), and that staff would request contingency funding as needed in future council actions.

Other operational updates The committee also heard a brief overview of HVAC upgrades across a group of elementary and middle schools. Work at Brookside has an executed contract and rooftop units on order; a group of other schools (Rowayton, McMahon/Bridland, Naramake, Marvin, Silvermine, Newfield) were moving toward contractor bids in April with planned construction starts in June. Staff warned that some mechanical upgrades will require phased work across multiple summers and second‑shift work during school terms in order to complete large‑scope mechanical replacements.

Ending: staff asked for patience and said they will provide a follow‑up to the Facilities Committee by April 30 with updated confirmation on the South Norwalk schedule while continuing to manage procurement, contractor sequencing and state reimbursement requests.