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Norwich council approves school construction grant applications for Teachers Memorial and Huntington conversion
Summary
Council approved resolutions to apply for state school construction grants: new construction for Teachers Memorial Middle School and conversion of Samuel Huntington to central offices, after the building committee recommended new construction and presented cost estimates.
The Norwich City Council on April 21 approved resolutions authorizing applications for state school construction grants to build a new Teachers Memorial Middle School and to convert Samuel Huntington School for central offices and adult education.
Why it matters: these applications initiate the next step in the state school construction program, which can provide substantial reimbursement for municipal school projects. The council approved submitting final grant applications to the Department of Administrative Services and the Office of Grants Administration to remain on the program schedule.
Details from the meeting
Michael Fanza, the owner's representative, told council that the resolutions are needed to submit the final grant applications for both projects and to keep the projects on schedule with state requirements. The School Building Committee recommended new construction for Teachers Memorial because renovating the existing building would be more expensive and yield less state reimbursement. Committee members and the owner's rep said new construction provides higher reimbursement and in their estimates is less expensive to deliver than a complex renovation.
Council members said the committee reviewed detailed cost estimates. An alderman noted the district had earlier estimated a $25 million renovation figure for Huntington; the most recent estimate for the Huntington conversion was roughly $11,000,000, according to the building committee's discussion during the meeting.
Votes and next steps
The council adopted both resolutions by unanimous vote, 7‑0. The resolutions allow staff to file grant applications and advance educational specifications and design work; the board of education will participate in specifications for the projects.
What comes next: submission of grant applications to state agencies and continuing design and budgeting work with the owner's representative and the board of education. The council authorized the applications so the projects remain eligible for state review and reimbursement.
