Meriden committee reviews $11.34 million plan to renovate 165 Miller St. for health clinic and Success Academy

At a Meriden city committee meeting, project manager Mark McDonnell of Silver Petrucelli Architects presented plans to renovate 165 Miller Street so the first floor houses the city health department and the second floor becomes a Board of Education Success Academy. McDonnell said the current cost estimate for the health-department portion is $11,335,000, or about $625 per square foot.

The presentation matters because the city plans to seek state construction funds. Unidentified city staff said the team will submit a CIF (Construction Improvement Fund) application this winter and is targeting a filing no later than Dec. 3 to meet the noon Dec. 5 upload deadline. If awarded, state review and contracting could push construction toward a 20282029 completion window.

McDonnell described the layout and access changes: public entrances to the health department will be on Miller Street, the building's center entrance will be limited to exiting only, and the school will use a separate secure second-floor entry. "The main entrance will be closed, basically, except for exiting," McDonnell said, describing a reception-style vestibule model that will control access to clinical and educational areas.

On financing, staff clarified the work is split between two funding tracks: the health-department renovation covered by the CIF application (the packet lists a not-to-exceed CIF amount of $11,100,000 and the city is being asked to commit $250,000 as local leverage) and a separate Board of Education application for roughly $13,950,000 in school construction work that the state typically reimburses at about 7576 percent. Committee members calculated that, with state reimbursement, the city's net share for the overall project would be roughly $3.6 million if full awards and reimbursements align with current estimates.

The team flagged several construction risks and constraints. McDonnell said much of the interior will be gutted and modernized, mechanical systems replaced, and bricked-in windows reopened, but that hazardous materials exist: "There will need to be asbestos removal and we have lead paint and potential PCBs documented," he said. Councilors asked staff to provide warranty or certification documentation for the roof, which McDonnell said was replaced about 15 years ago and is estimated to have a 20- to 25-year life; staff agreed to locate and share warranty records if available.

Committee members spent substantial time on circulation, parking and security. Staff said the site has more than 60 spaces and that the health department requires about 23 staff parking spots. Members pressed for clarity about where residents will park and how they will safely access the front entrance, how bus drop-off for the Success Academy will be handled, and where fences or gates will separate school and public flows. One councilor said the presentation did not clearly show public parking on the slide and called that omission "frustrating," asking for a revised package that labels public access points and the fence line.

Security was also raised. An unidentified staff speaker said, "So currently, there are no security cameras to my knowledge at the Miller Street project," and outlined the planned secure vestibule/reception approach and gated staff-parking area with key-card access. The committee encouraged staff to consider camera coverage as design moves forward.

Next steps and timeline: staff said the design team expects to finish 60 percent construction documents by Nov. 25 and will file the CIF application in early December; the CIF board and bond commission review cycles typically run through spring and awards are often announced by July. If the city receives an award, the DECD review and contracting process and a subsequent bidding period mean construction is unlikely to start immediately; McDonnell estimated a 12-month construction timeframe once work begins.

Public comment included a resident, Dan Zabrowski, who urged the committee to fill vacancies and improve attendance so the group can follow projects through to completion. The committee did not take any formal action on the CIF application at the meeting; the council's finance committee was scheduled to review related resolutions the following day and the full council will consider the resolution later.

The committee approved the meeting minutes at the start of the session and adjourned at the end of the agenda. The design team and city staff said they will provide the requested timetable, roof warranty documentation if available, and updated presentation slides showing public parking and fence locations ahead of further finance-committee and council reviews.