John Wallace Middle School renovation on schedule and 75% state-funded, committee says

The John Wallace Middle School renovation is on schedule and on budget, the school district's building committee reported Wednesday night, with Wings 3 and 4 planned for turnover to the district at the end of the Christmas break and Wing 6 to follow.

Steve Woods, chair of the project building committee, told the Newington Board of Education that the project team expects to complete the work on Wings 3 and 4 in time to return them to school use after the December break. "We are on schedule. We are on budget," Woods said, adding that Wing 4 will include bathrooms (Wing 3 will not) and that classrooms are being built with a mix of sheetrock and concrete block walls for added security and noise control.

Woods said window frames and glazing were due to be delivered to the site on Oct. 27, that radon mitigation systems are in place, and that a second soil dig was required to remove contaminated material discovered where old windows had been removed. He also said that some exterior concrete slabs by the cafeteria will be replaced with an 8-inch slab to avoid future cracking caused by truck traffic.

The committee reported the district secured roughly 75% funding for the project from state sources, which Woods said enabled the current scope of work. He estimated there will be a surplus of between $500,000 and $600,000 from the project allotment that the project will return; he cautioned that smaller projects (John Wallace vs. the larger Anna Reynolds project) typically have less leftover contingency.

Committee members described finishes and mechanical work that remain to be completed as the project moves into wiring and finish stages for the completed wings. The committee noted that masonry work and a brick façade are ongoing and that final site grading and seeding are expected in spring.

Why it matters: The school has been the focus of renovation planning for decades; the work replaces what committee members described as outdated partitions and finishes and adds modern classrooms and restrooms. Completion of Wings 3 and 4 will return students and staff to updated learning spaces and improve building security and acoustics.

Ending: The building committee plans ribbon-cutting events once the final phases are complete and will continue to report to the board as remaining work on Wing 6 and site finishes proceeds.