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South Norwalk school on schedule; Norwalk High and district HVAC work face bid and timing challenges
Summary
City staff reported the South Norwalk school project is on schedule to open in fall semester; Norwalk High demolition is planned and state reimbursements are proceeding. The districtwide HVAC replacement bids came in high and staff said they are exploring phasing, equipment procurement and potential additional funding or schedule adjustments.
Alan (city staff) gave the board an update on school construction. He said the South Norwalk Neighborhood School project is on track to open for the fall semester and will serve about 682 students; the project remains within budget and a recent tour was provided to council and board members. Norwalk High School steel erection is underway with demolition of the existing building planned to begin after the new building is occupied; staff said state reimbursements and grant timing should cover the city’s share of the high‑school costs once requests are submitted.
On district HVAC projects funded by state grants, Alan said recent bid results were significantly higher than anticipated and that the pool of mechanical contractors and suppliers in the region isstrained. He said the full HVAC package totals roughly $35 million across multiple schools and that staff are evaluating phasing strategies, direct equipment procurement to shorten lead times and requests for state deadline extensions (the original completion deadlines were set by grant terms). Alan said he will present recommendations and any required supplemental funding requests to the BET in a future meeting.
No formal action was taken; board members asked how much flexibility exists in grant deadlines and whether parts of the work can be staged to reduce single‑season contractor demand.
