Meriden committee reviews $11.335 million plan to renovate 165 Miller Street for health services and a Success Academy

Meriden city officials and the project architect heard a detailed presentation about renovating 165 Miller Street, a 100‑year‑old building that would house the city health department on the first floor and a Board of Education Success Academy on the second.

Mark McDonnell, project manager for Silver Petrucelli Architects, said the health‑department renovation is estimated at $11,335,000, roughly $625 per square foot, and that the work focuses on interior demolition and new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems rather than replacing the roof or superstructure. "We don't have a lot of excavation ... we're not building a new building," McDonnell said, adding that the roof will be preserved and many original finishes (terrazzo, a gym floor) will be salvaged where possible.

The design separates circulation for the two uses: public access to the health department will be from Miller Street, while the Success Academy will use rear and side entrances and a secure vestibule to limit interaction between school and clinic users. McDonnell described waiting areas, vaccine preparation rooms, staff offices and storage that the design preserves or reconfigures. He said hazardous‑materials removal (asbestos in fireproofing,…