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Committee approves Eversource easements for school HVAC projects and hears major school construction budget update
Summary
The committee authorized public hearings and referrals for Eversource energy easements required for electrical upgrades tied to HVAC/IAQ projects at Naramac and Rowaitan schools, and heard construction updates showing South Norwalk Elementary closeout work and a Norwalk High School budget increase of about $21 million (roughly $10M contingency) driven by polluted soils and potential rock removal.
The Land Use and Building Management Committee on March 4 authorized referrals and public hearings and signed off on mayoral authority to execute easement documents that Eversource requires to proceed with electrical upgrades needed by several school HVAC/IAQ projects. Dan Phillips of CSG said the easements permit Eversource to access transformer locations; the easement costs, surveying and title work are included in the overall project budgets.
Members asked Phillips to be prepared at the public hearings to explain easement siting and the potential need to remove and replant trees at some sites; Phillips said he would address siting and mitigation at those hearings. The committee approved easement referrals under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 8-24 for the Naramac and Rowaitan projects and authorized the mayor to execute the necessary documents.
In a construction-update presentation CSG reported South Norwalk Elementary is largely complete and the city plans to use remaining state-authorized free balance funds—approximately $1 million set aside for rooftop solar and roughly $2.9 million in total free balance where eligible—to install solar at an elementary school. The state-approved budget for that project was cited as $76 million; the presentation noted some ineligible costs due to land acquisition and a net paid-to-date amount.
On the Norwalk High School project CSG showed active exterior and interior work, targeted occupancy in fall 2027 and outdoor facilities finishing in late 2027–2028. The presentation also flagged an anticipated project increase of roughly $21 million, of which about $10 million is additional contingency: CSG attributed the increase primarily to polluted soils encountered in early excavation and potential rock removal in later demolition phases. Staff said a capital request to address the shortfall has been submitted and is moving through the board-of-education and city approval processes.
Committee members asked for additional documentation, including cost-per-square-foot analysis, and staff said they will post the updated presentation and follow up with more detailed figures.
