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Stonington facilities plan asks for multi‑million roof and turf projects, new vans and portables
Summary
Facilities staff requested multiple capital projects including a $3.5 million roof replacement at the high school, a $2.35 million track and turf replacement, replacement vehicles (including used electric vans), and portables; board asked for scoping, timelines and procurement details.
Stonington’s facilities director on Thursday walked the Board of Finance through a multi‑item capital request that would affect school operations and construction schedules.
Steve Caravan, the district’s director of facilities, described a proposed high‑school flat‑roof replacement with an architect’s estimate of about $3.1 million and contingency raising the total to roughly $3.5 million. He said the state typically reimburses a portion of school construction costs (Stripling and staff estimated the reimbursement in the low‑30% range) but emphasized that the town must commit to full funding before the state process is finalized.
Caravan recommended full replacement of the district’s track and turf rather than a recode; after contractor reviews he said the estimated cost to replace turf, fencing and the press box is about $2,350,000. He added that core sampling, drainage checks and schedule coordination will be required during design and that construction could disrupt athletics and graduation timing if done in a single season.
On fleet needs, Caravan presented two vehicle requests: a maintenance/mail truck (estimate $40,182) and a maintenance van (about $51,767). He said the district is actively considering lightly used electric vans (roughly $50,000 in the current secondary market) because of operating‑cost savings and market availability. "There's a market flood on electric vans…with 2,000–3,000 miles on them," Caravan told the board, arguing the vans' 120‑mile range matches daily routes and offers fuel and maintenance savings.
Other capital lines included partial funding to rebuild a district phone reserve, ongoing radios and a repeater system to improve school‑police interoperability, and security camera upgrades. The security camera bid waiver (about $55,740.37) was moved, approved by voice vote and recorded during the meeting.
Caravan also addressed portable classroom procurement: the modular vendor returned a revised contract with two outstanding issues (liability language and third‑party inspection for out‑of‑state factory modules). Staff said the modular manufacturer would stamp engineered drawings once contractual details are resolved and that delivery lead time is roughly 10 weeks after approvals.
Board members pressed on project scoping, drainage under turf fields, warranty and maintenance expectations, and whether some work could be phased to reduce immediate impact on school operations. Staff agreed to produce bid packages, core‑sample results and a more detailed timeline for each major project prior to final budget decisions.
Provenance: topicintro SEG 566; topfinish SEG 4036.
