Town and schools team up for capital projects in Westport

WESTPORT — The schools and town are looking to partner even more on capital projects.

The latest step comes with support form the town for the schools’ idea to hire a firm to be a capital program manager and oversee the district’s $100 million maintenance plan.

First Selectman Jim Marpe said this move made sense, especially since about 90 percent of the town-owned building square footage is for public education. He said this firm could help the town and schools make sure they don’t miss out on any state reimbursements and are tackling projects in the right sequence.

“The taxpayers have invested in these buildings and we’re using tax payer money to make sure they’re maintained and improved where appropriate,” Marpe said at a recent school board meeting.

He said the town has been setting money aside in budgets to look at town and school facilities and that money could be used to cover the cost of the firm to see if the idea works.

“I think it will work,” Marpe said. “Let’s try it. We can refine it over time.”

A cost hasn’t been determined yet but previous estimates put it between $50,000 and $100,000.

The district plans to bid out the services at the end of the month.

Marpe said there might even be some overlap in expertise and the firm could help out with some town projects too.

The town and schools also plan to partner on projects beyond the firm, leveraging the expertise in the town’s public works department, as well as the pricing they could get if similar projects were grouped together, such as paving.

“That sets a model for other projects,” Marpe said.

Superintendent Thomas Scarice said they haven’t discussed specific projects yet.

“We would have to look into the actual 10-year maintenance plan,” Scarice said.

The firm could also help find these possible combined projects.

Some school board members said health care is a good example of how this would work, with both the town and schools having the ability to go to the shared company on their own.

“I’m looking forward to this collaboration,” Marpe said. “I’m very, very optimistic it will reap benefits.”

School board members also welcomed the partnership.

“I’m very pleased with the level of collaboration with the town and that we’re all moving forward together on the same page,” said school board chairwoman Candice Savin.

kkoerting@newstimes.com