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Willington committee halts rush to meet grant deadline after state clarifies cost‑per‑square‑foot rule
Summary
After a Colliers clarification that the state’s proposed $503 cap applies to building (A–F) elements, not total project costs, the Willington School Building Committee agreed to pursue an alternate timeline and to target a November referendum while developing budgets and community engagement plans.
The Willington School Building Committee on April 27 heard a clarification from its project team that eased earlier fears the state would pay only about half of a school project’s total cost. The committee directed staff and consultants to develop a revised schedule that would prioritize community engagement and target a November referendum rather than rush to file a June 30 grant application.
Scott of Colliers, the project lead, told the committee the Office of Grants Administration’s proposed Regulation 10:287‑C30 defines “cost per square foot” as costs for building elements A through F (the building from exterior walls in), not the entire project budget. “The chart that they published shows three different levels of allowable cost per square foot … K through 5, $494 a square foot; Grade 6 through 8, $520; and 9 through 12, $523,” Scott said. He explained that for a K–8 building that mix produces a weighted value of about $503 per square foot for building elements only, excluding site work, furniture and equipment, OPM/architect/legal fees and contingencies.
That technical clarification mattered: committee members had worried the state’s number might represent total project reimbursement, which would have left towns to cover large shares of site work and soft costs. Scott said his analysis of comparable projects escalated to current dollars showed many building‑element estimates at or near the $503 figure, which reduced the immediate risk that the state number would underfund the building envelope.
Chair James Marshall said the information shifted the committee’s view about the aggressive June deadline. “We got general consensus that we’re going to pursue an alternate schedule, given the information presented, and target a November for now,” Marshall said. The committee asked Colliers to produce a revised milestone schedule and to fold community engagement into the updated timeline for discussion at the committee’s next regular meeting.
The committee also approved several administrative items tied to outreach and clarification. Members voted to authorize up to $900 for a demographer to present and explain enrollment projections at a public meeting and approved up to $1,000 for presence and materials at Willington Day to boost public engagement. The April 13 meeting minutes were approved with one abstention: Peter Bacon said he would abstain because he had not attended that earlier meeting.
Why it matters: the clarification narrows what the state appears willing to reimburse and gives the town more time to build public support and refine cost estimates before a funding referendum. The committee directed Colliers and the design team to produce rough order‑of‑magnitude budgets, updated milestones and clear public‑facing language explaining the state regulation and what the $503 figure covers.
What’s next: Colliers will deliver a revised schedule and milestone set; the design team will develop budget comparisons and communication materials. The committee will review those materials in roughly two weeks and continue public outreach before finalizing a referendum date and a single grant application to submit by the later filing window.
