Board: Selectmen approve Bongate building committee; town to seek state review ahead of Oct. 9 referendum

The building committee for the Bongate school project received approval from the Board of Selectmen, clearing the way for architects to submit documentation to the State of Connecticut and for the town to prepare a referendum set for Oct. 9, district officials said.

Board member Pete Cubic told the School Board that the Selectmen voted to approve the building committee last week and that the next steps are submission of paperwork to state reviewers and referendum preparation. "So it's moving in the right direction," Cubic said during administrative communications.

The discussion identified the project as a plan for a new Bongate school and the elimination of the existing Bongate school building. No formal vote by the school board was recorded on the matter during the meeting; the presentation described procedural steps required before a townwide referendum.

Why it matters: approval by the Board of Selectmen is a required municipal step before the town may seek state review and place a school construction question on the ballot. If voters approve the referendum, the town would move forward with the new Bongate school project; the presentation did not include a construction timetable, detailed costs or state approval status.

Board members did not provide a budget total in the meeting presentation. Officials told the board only that architects may now submit materials to the State of Connecticut and that the referendum is planned for Oct. 9. No project ordinance or contract was presented at the meeting for board action.

Board members and staff said they would provide additional information to the public as state review and referendum preparations progress.