Wethersfield board and residents press forward on elementary building project; Stillman site advocacy surfaces

Residents and board members on Tuesday reiterated support for a proposed elementary-school construction project and outlined steps in the budget and referendum process, including recent building committee site analysis and early planning for swing-space arrangements.

In public comment, Sally Keating, identifying herself as a resident of 109 Church Street, urged support for building a new elementary school on the Stillman property and cited a 1923 quitclaim she said conveyed the land "for the purpose of school buildings and school grounds." Keating said the district’s five elementary schools have "leaking roofs, leaking windows, inefficient heating and cooling systems, asbestos, mold" and argued that a well-structured referendum would be necessary to move the project forward.

Superintendent Michael Emmett told the board that central office staff and consultants from TSKP met to discuss converting Webb into a grade 5–6 school and to evaluate space standards and office and collaborative areas. Emmett said the building committee determined that Hamner would serve as a swing-space school under the current plan, which raises logistical questions about running two school programs concurrently in one neighborhood.

Board member Chuck (surname not specified in the transcript) reported sizable public attendance at recent building-committee forums and emphasized that TSKP presented data on multiple potential sites; "They really do map out, the pros and cons from each site and ultimately why Stillman was selected," he said. Chuck said he personally favors having the new Hamner building become the long-term Hamner and using the old building as swing space to avoid a second move for students and staff.

Board members discussed next steps: drafting public-facing communications such as FAQs and newsletters, preparing talking points for upcoming town-council budget presentations, and refining cost estimates so voters can see year‑by‑year tax impacts. A board communication read into the record asked members to select areas to advocate for in the town-council presentation (cost avoidance, security, special education, grants and similar categories) and listed tentative dates for rehearsals and the town-council presentation in mid‑March.

Ending: Board members and staff said work on the building project and budget will continue in coming weeks, with more details to be developed for public distribution and a formal town-council presentation scheduled as part of the budget calendar.