Wallingford board narrows educational specifications for proposed consolidated high school; pool, copy center move approved, planetarium excluded

Wallingford Board of Education members voted June 11 to add a natatorium and several program elements to the educational specifications for a proposed consolidated high school while excluding a planetarium and directing changes to district support-space planning.

The Board held a special meeting with Scott Pellman of Colliers present as the district’s consultant. Board members approved inclusion of a pool (natatorium), a plan to move the district copy center and most of the IT department into space at 4 Fairfield Boulevard while retaining a small on-site workstation at the new high school, and the performing-arts program and stage as described in the current draft of the ed specs. The Board voted to exclude a new planetarium from the consolidated-high-school specifications. The group also approved cafeteria capacity as drafted and added a dedicated counseling office space; members voted to keep the assistant-principal office layout as it currently appears in the draft specs.

Why it matters: the choices affect the building’s square footage and the district’s state reimbursement. Consultants and staff said changes such as adding classrooms or reducing shared workspace would increase square footage and could add millions to the district’s nonreimbursable share. The Board discussed trade-offs between space for teachers and collaborative “shared workspace” models used in newer schools, and asked staff to return with more detail on where space could be shifted if the Board sought to add private classrooms.

Decisions taken

Pool: Board members agreed the project should include a natatorium and the motion to add it to the educational specifications was approved by voice vote.

Copy center and IT: The Board approved a motion to move…