Stamford Board certifies West Hill high school plans for bid after designers present $404M construction estimate

The Stamford Board of Education on Oct. 14 certified final plans and project manuals for the West Hill High School replacement and voted to release the project for public bidding after a multi-hour presentation of site plans, building design and cost estimates.

The board’s action follows a technical presentation by district representatives and the project team, who told members they will submit the materials to the state for plan-conformance review and authorization to advertise bids. A project cost presenter told the board the reconciled construction estimate is "trending at just over $404,000,000," and that the state-authorized total project budget is $446,000,000. The presenters said the state’s grant reimbursement program can cover up to 80% of eligible costs but that some items (for example, work beyond the property line) are ineligible and will lower the effective reimbursement rate.

Why it matters: the project replaces the existing West Hill campus with a 445,000-square-foot facility and reorganizes instruction around eight small learning communities while adding significant site and program features — including a 6-lane, 75-yard natatorium bid as an add-alternate, expanded parking and dedicated bus circulation. The board’s vote moves the design package to the state review process and to an anticipated public-bid cycle that the presenters said would run from December advertisement through January–February bid receipt.

What the plans show: the design team described a building sited north of the existing high school, oriented to preserve much of the current footprint during construction and to phase demolition after students move into the new facility. The architects said the east side of the building will read as five stories because of grade, while the west side will read as three; the campus plan includes roughly 513 campus parking spaces (an increase of about 38 from the current on-site 475) and a counterclockwise, single-direction bus lane capable of stacking approximately 55 buses, including four special-education buses. Interior program highlights include a two-story auditorium with an orchestra pit, extensive CTE shop spaces with external overhead access, distributed media centers (about 1,000 sq ft per academic floor), and multiple communicating stairs for daylight and wayfinding.

Cost and funding concerns: the reconciled construction estimate presented to the board was "just over $404,000,000," which the presenters said sits within the state-authorized $446,000,000 total project budget. Presenters translated the figures into per-square-foot metrics used for internal comparisons: roughly $661 per square foot for the building-alone metric and an estimated $884 per square foot for the construction contract estimate; the total-project inclusive figure was represented near $976 per square foot. The presenters also flagged an estimating contingency (about $7.5 million) and identified ongoing value-engineering efforts expected to reduce costs further.

Board debate and vote: several board members pressed for more detail about taxpayer cost and the timing of bond or capital decisions. Dr. Hammond (S5) said she could not yet support the measure without clearer information on the burden to taxpayers and how multiple simultaneous building projects would be financed. Board member Mr. Hyman (S6) and others defended the project as an investment and urged moving to bids to get market pricing. After discussion, Chair (S1) moved the resolution certifying the plans (resolution 10-14-25:81, referencing plans dated 10/03/2025 and a professional cost estimate dated 10/09/2025 and ASTM E1557 unit-format notation). The motion was seconded by Ms. Koch; the board voted 5 in favor, 2 opposed, 1 abstention. The motion passed.

Procedural next steps: presenters said the board’s certification confirms the materials for the state’s PCR review; the state must authorize the project to go out to bid under the grant reimbursement process. The team said they plan to advertise bid documents in mid-December, receive bids in January–February, and aim for early enabling work to begin in April–May with the main construction package following and a multi-year construction period thereafter. The natatorium remains an add-alternate dependent on favorable bid pricing and available funds.

What remains unresolved: the final contract and construction awarding will depend on the bid outcomes and subsequent approvals by municipal fiscal authorities. Board members noted that any final decision to execute a construction contract, funding-bonding structure or to accept bids above the projected estimate would require additional review and likely further approvals by the city’s finance bodies.

Attribution: quotes and specific technical statements in this article are attributed to the presenters and board members who spoke during the meeting (see speaker list). For example, the project cost presenter stated the $404 million trend figure during the cost portion of the presentation; Dr. Hammond raised taxpayer-affordability concerns during discussion prior to the vote.

The board adjourned at 08:07.