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Cheshire school building projects stay on schedule; state reimbursement rules boost town’s aid outlook
Summary
The council heard an update on the Norton and Barnum elementary projects, including progress on classrooms, geothermal wells and testing of excavated topsoil that required a $200,000 authorization to move contaminated soil off-site.
The Town of Cheshire School Building Committee reported progress on two elementary-school projects at the June 10 council meeting and described a recent change that could increase state reimbursement for some costs.
Committee members said classroom wings, steel erection and geothermal wells are progressing at both Norton and Barnum elementary-school construction sites. Committee chair Trevor Gustenberg told the council there will be a “topping off” for Norton and that students had been involved in signing a steel girder that will be lifted into place.
Gustenberg also said state legislators secured changes that will increase reimbursement in two ways: a waiver on space standards that had previously reduced the town’s reimbursement and a new provision for extra reimbursement for early‑childhood (pre‑K) construction. The committee expects improved reimbursement rates for both schools, though officials said they are awaiting written confirmation from the state office that calculates grants and will report a precise impact once figures are received.
At Norton, contractors discovered more topsoil than expected during site stripping. Environmental testing found that portions of the excavated soil contained naturally occurring heavy metals or legacy pesticides. The committee reported the council previously approved approximately $200,000 to transport and reprocess the soil at a permitted facility in West Hartford; staff said testing and disposal approvals are underway and that the town will remove only material that does not meet reuse criteria.
Gustenberg said the operability schedule remains on track: classroom areas are largely complete and remaining work (gym, cafeteria, offices) will continue over the summer, with steelwork and system installations to be finished in the months ahead.
Councilors asked questions about how much reimbursement the town could expect and whether the new state rules apply to one or both projects; the committee said the space‑standard waiver applies to both schools while the early‑childhood extra reimbursement applies to the project that houses the town’s preschool program. The committee cautioned that exact percentages and dollar amounts await formal state grant calculations.
