Wethersfield board authorizes grant application for new Highcrest Elementary, advances three-phase school master plan

The Wethersfield Board of Education on April 22 approved a resolution authorizing the superintendent to apply for a state grant to design and build a new Highcrest Elementary School and to accept or reject any award, advancing the district’s multi‑phase elementary school master plan.

The resolution (Town of Wethersfield Resolution R2025‑4) designates Michael T. Emmett, superintendent of Wethersfield Public Schools, as the authorized representative to submit the grant application and related documents to the Commissioner of Administrative Services; the board voted in favor with no objection recorded.

The vote follows a 90‑minute presentation from Michael Scott of TSKP Studio and representatives from Downs Construction, who reviewed a three‑phase approach intended to (1) build a new “swing” elementary school on the Keisha Farm site to house students while other schools are renovated; (2) renovate and expand Webb to create a 5–6 intermediate academy; and (3) renovate Charles Wright into a K–4 academy. Scott said the first phase will also include expanded preschool capacity and that the district plans to submit a grant application by June 30, 2025.

Why it matters: the board and the building committee argued that packaging the largest and most disruptive work—new construction plus the Webb renovation—into the first referendum will reduce escalation risk and produce higher construction‑market value for referendum dollars. Downs’ cost model put Phase 1 hard‑and‑soft costs in current dollars and applied a 6% annual escalation assumption for future phases.

Details from the presentation: Scott described the master plan’s goals as creating parity in enrollment and classroom sizes across elementary schools, preserving a school at each of the five existing sites, and minimizing in‑school disruption during construction by using a new building as a swing school. He said the new Highcrest would be about 53,000 gross square feet including five preschool classrooms and estimated the town’s net cost for that school at roughly $34 million in current dollars after state reimbursement. The Webb renovation is projected as largely renovation (with some new construction) and qualifies for the state’s “renovate as new” incentive; Downs estimated a town cost under $48 million for that phase. Scott said abatement of hazardous materials at each site was included in estimates and that abatement costs typically ranged from about $1 million to $1.5 million per school in the consultant’s visual inventory.

Board members and the public asked for detail on contingencies, caps on soft costs, the mechanics of fee approvals, and the process that limits cost growth during design and construction. Scott said the state caps reimbursable soft costs at 20% of hard costs, that the team included construction and design contingencies and escalation allowances in its model, and that the typical procurement flow would produce a guaranteed maximum price from a construction manager once bid documents are complete. Board members asked the building committee and administration to return with more detail on approval workflows and controls for potential overruns.

Timing and next steps: the board chair and building committee chair said the town council will receive the same master plan presentation on May 5. The board expects to approve educational specifications on May 13; the town council is expected to set the municipal budget on May 14, and the board must finalize any budget reductions after that allocation. The building committee recommended moving the planned referendum from September 23 to September 16 to avoid a scheduling conflict with Rosh Hashanah.

The board’s action authorizes the superintendent to submit the grant application and accept an award if offered; it does not obligate the town to bond referendum amounts pending successful grant and referendum outcomes. The board will continue to refine ed specs, firm up cost contingencies, and present further detail to the public and council.