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High school vision committee urges second‑phase feasibility study; board schedules April decision
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Summary
After a year of review, the East Lyme High School Vision Committee told the Board March 9 that the high school is aging and has high‑priority infrastructure needs; the committee recommended funding a phase‑2 feasibility study to develop renovation and replacement options and rough cost estimates.
Mark Salerno, chair of the High School Vision Committee, told the Board of Education on March 9 that much of East Lyme High School dates to the late 1960s and early 1970s and that the committee’s phase‑1 work with consultant Silver & Petrucelli confirmed multiple urgent building deficiencies. "My name is Mark Salerno. For those who don't know me, I'm chairing the ... high school vision committee," he said, and summarized the committee’s review of heating, plumbing, electrical, ADA and roofing problems.
The presentation said the building’s oldest wings are approaching 60 years and that, even if the district does not pursue major modernization, keeping systems functioning could require roughly $43 million of work over the next decade. The committee described a nominal seven‑to‑nine‑year timeline from planning through construction and estimated that a renovated or replaced facility could be delivered around 2032–2034 if the district proceeds without delay.
The recommendation to the board was to authorize a phase‑2 study: a site and options analysis, preliminary cost estimates for renovate‑as‑new versus replacement, and consideration of locations and programmatic modernization. "The capital expense over 10 years is $43,000,000," one committee member summarized during questions, pressing the board to weigh long‑term maintenance costs against modernization choices.
Board members asked about the committee’s size, consultant selection and how the work would fit with other town projects and bonding. The committee emphasized that phase 2 would produce clearer scope, cost ranges and site recommendations and that procurement of an architect for design would occur later if the board moves forward. Committee members also recommended close coordination with the town, the board of finance and Salem (the district’s co‑op partner) because any referendum and bonding will have intergovernmental impacts.
Board chair (S2) said the board would put the phase‑2 authorization on the April 6 agenda for formal discussion and potential approval and that the committee’s presentation would be shared with town finance officials. The board did not adopt a final fiscal plan on March 9; members agreed there was broad support to move into the next study phase so the district can compare options with more precise cost estimates.
The next procedural step is a board discussion/action item on April 6 to decide whether to fund the phase‑2 study and, if approved, how to sequence community briefings and coordination with town boards. If the study proceeds, it will inform whether the district should seek a referendum and what a realistic construction timeline and likely tax impact would be.
