The Norwalk Board of Education Facilities Committee on Wednesday received progress reports on six school HVAC projects, construction at Norwalk High School and a cluster of planned capital requests, and heard updates on solar installations and asbestos and accessibility work slated for next summer.

Alan Lowe, a facilities staff member, told the committee that boiler replacements at Silvermine School and Rowan School are operational but that crews are still resolving control and tie-in issues. “The boilers are operational,” Lowe said, adding that technicians are addressing temperature-control and connections to some older equipment.

Lowe said Silvermine will also receive air conditioning in the gym; crews expect the gym cooling system to be installed by the end of this year and full school air-conditioning work to occur next summer. He said some second‑shift work may be required to avoid disrupting school programs.

The committee heard that work at other sites is at varying stages. Lowe said one project (identified in the meeting as “NAOMIC school”) is progressing slowly and most work will occur next summer. At Brookside School, rooftop units have been installed but crews are troubleshooting ductwork, controls and replacement parts for some newly delivered equipment. Lowe said the rooftop work should be completed before year’s end.

At Brien McMahon High School, crews removed two underground oil tanks and identified minor contamination that will require removal of about one truckload of soil and installation of a monitoring well. Lowe said a new chiller is scheduled for delivery in February or March and that officials are aiming to complete air-conditioning work before the next cooling season to avoid renting temporary equipment.

Lowe also said the district reissued a repackaged bid for Marvin School after an initial round returned high prices; he expected bids to be received the day after the committee meeting and said the district plans to present related land‑use and appropriation items to the common council in November. If Marvin bids are too high, Lowe said a special appropriation through the city budget process could delay work by roughly two months.

Norwalk High School

Bill (staff member) reported that Norwalk High School construction is continuing and that exterior work is progressing; he said construction will continue for about two more years. Bill said the district plans to request roughly $20,000,000 in additional capital funding to complete the project and that the district will seek state reimbursement—Lowe said the project could be eligible for state reimbursement of about 80 percent if approved. Bill said he has discussed the funding plan with Jared Schmidt, the city’s financial officer, and that the district will later submit a reimbursement request to the state.

Solar projects and incentives

The committee received two solar updates. Bill said work on the Cranbury roof solar installation is complete and that contractors hope to energize the system in late November; the city’s sustainability officer may host a press event when the system goes live.

Lowe described a separate issue in South Norwalk involving the utility structure and solar financing. He told the committee the local utility’s rules were interpreted to preclude a third‑party power purchase agreement (PPA) for that campus, which means the district would need to treat a solar installation as a capital construction project rather than a leased system. Lowe said the utility in that area offers only minimal incentive funding (described in the meeting as about $5,000) and that a previously available federal energy tax credit is no longer available to the city under the financing path they had used in the past. Lowe said he has begun conversations with state officials and the district’s engineers; initial feedback suggested that incorporating solar as part of the capital construction package could make the project eligible for substantial state reimbursement (Lowe described a potential reimbursement rate in the meeting as “60/60%”), and he said that if the approach is confirmed the district could advertise a construction contract and pursue installation next spring. Lowe cautioned that a capital‑funded approach would require the district to arrange maintenance and service contracts, instead of relying on a solar developer to provide ongoing maintenance under a PPA.

Wolfpit, asbestos and ADA planning

The committee discussed Wolfpit (a school built in 1965, as noted in the meeting). Committee members said the building has accessibility deficiencies under Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards and asbestos in flooring and ceilings. The facilities team recommended deferring full abatement and instead pursuing air‑conditioning work next summer while doing localized asbestos work where necessary; a formal ADA study and a separate, multi‑summer abatement plan would follow. Bill said the ADA study could take about six months and could identify work such as elevators and classroom reorganization. The committee also agreed to prioritize an asbestos abatement project at Nathan Hale next summer and to replace lockers at Nathan Hale and Ponus (identified in the meeting as “Ponis”) as part of the summer program.

Gym floor at (named in the meeting as) South Mohawk

Bill described a quality problem with a recently installed gymnasium floor in one school (referred to in the meeting as South Mohawk). He said manufacturer and contractor inspections found excess polyurethane layers and incomplete cures; the contractor agreed to strip and refinish the floor. Bill said the district and contractor hope to complete the work during the winter holiday break (a window that would include about one week before and two weeks after the holidays) so students can use an alternate multipurpose room during repairs.

Next steps and planning

Lowe said he is preparing capital budget write‑ups for Norwalk High and West Rocks (described in the meeting as WestRock) and expects to provide draft materials to district staff in early to mid‑November; he said professional cost estimates will follow and be available by mid‑ to late‑December. The committee was told the district is pursuing state reimbursement applications for projects that fit the state’s reimbursable categories (specifically, the abatement and the underground storage tank removal at Columbus School), and that other projects (for example, some accessibility and HVAC items) are not expected to be reimbursable.

Actions recorded

The committee approved minutes from its Sept. 30 meeting. At the end of the meeting, Board member Ashley Goulias moved to adjourn; the motion was seconded and carried.

The committee scheduled a November meeting and directed staff to continue preparing capital requests and to follow up with the state on solar and reimbursement paths. Committee members asked staff to return with more detailed budget estimates and with results from the Marvin School bid process.

The Facilities Committee will next meet in November; staff said specific dates and capital request materials will be shared in advance.