The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
School board: We gave ‘taxpayers the options’ on the high school plan
TORRINGTON — Residents on Election Day will be asked to vote on building a new high school, combining grades 7-12 and moving the city school district’s administrative offices from their offices on Migeon Avenue to the new facility.
The Board of Education presented the project months ago and since then, a building committee has been working with an architect on the plans. At the same time, a community group called Vote Yes, New School, Bright Future, has held forums promoting the plan and are running a grassroots marketing campaign to get people behind it.
Longtime resident Glen Royals, a business owner, alleges the school board is using “scare tactics” to get votes to build the new school, and that the board should hold off on any project for now.
“I have a lot of concerns about the way this project has been presented to people,” he said.
“What I don’t like is the fact that not everyone is for the new schools. The city can’t afford to pay for it,” he said. “We have a lot of debt already.”
However, in a statement, Board of Education Chairwoman Fiona Cappabianca said she hasn’t heard from Royals about his concerns about the project.
“I am not sure who Glen Royals is speaking on behalf of,” she said. “We would be happy to discuss (the) concerns in a public setting if they are willing to bring factual data regarding how they would repair the building. We could make ourselves available on Monday night if they have interest.”
Cappabianca said the school board is not using “scare tactics” to get people to vote yes.
“It is our responsibility to provide to the taxpayers the options that they have for addressing the needs of the building,”
she said.
The project would include razing the high school and replacing it with a combined middle and high school building. Middle school and high school students would be housed in their own wing, with some shared spaces. Athletic fields would be improved. The new school would have a shared gym and theater.
Once the high school is completed, the school district would move grades 4-6 to Torrington Middle School. The total cost of the project is $157 million — after state reimbursement grants, the cost to the city is $74 million.
The existing high school, built in the 1960s, is in need of repairs. Windows and flooring need replacement. The bathrooms need renovation, as does the gym floor. The building’s infrastructure — electrical, heating and cooling systems all need replacement, according to the Board of Education and project supporters, including the Vote Yes, New School, Bright Fu
ture group of parents and other residents. The school district’s website, torrington.org, has a complete section devoted to the project, at www.thsbuildingproject org/
Cappabianca said she has had no communication with Royals about his concerns. “The only interaction the board has had with Mr. Royals is when he attends the city meeting every year to demand that the mill rate stay flat,” she said. “I am not sure if his opposition for the project is based on the condition of the high school or his desire to keep the mill rate flat. I don’t know his reasoning because he has not attended any of the public meetings over the last two years or the multiple public forums over the last two months.”
‘Use what we have’
Royals said he wants the school district and school board to make the best of the high school building with renovations, maintain it better with repairs, and “use what we
have.”
He also believes the pandemic will change “what a school is going to be.”
In response, Cappabianca said when the process to deal with the aging THS began, “we all thought we would be renovating the new high school.”
“The secondary ad hoc committee and Board of Education have relied on experts in the fields to provide an analysis of the building and the options available,” she said. “It was determined that due to the design in the 60’s, prior to any building code requirements, and the extensiveness of the work, that it in fact would cost more to repair the building or renovate the building. The most cost-effective way to address the building would be to build new on the same property.”
She challenged people objecting to the high school plan to provide a cost analysis to repair it. “We have extensively reviewed the analysis from
O & G,” she said.
The cost
The Vote Yes group agrees that renovating Torrington High School is not a viable option. Torrington would not receive as much reimbursement, because so much needs to be done to the building. Second, the aging school building can’t house grades 7-12, which is part of the new plan, they said.
Cappabianca and Kaestle Boos representatives, who are working with the school board on the project, said that for Torrington to receive the maximum reimbursement for a project from the state, building a new facility is a better option.
“Everyone was surprised when they learned how much it would cost to fix the building without making any fundamental changes to it,” said Vote Yes member Jeff Putnam.
“It’s just not the same. To repair it will cost $78 million,” he said. “But it’s not a new facility, with new opportunities for education. So it’s $78 million to repair what it needs, or $74 million to get a new school. it’s also worth noting that the $78 million (to renovate) is the cost to the taxpayers, and those numbers are likely to be higher. Cost hikes are inevitable.”
In her statement, Cappabianca provided a long list of the necessary repairs to renovate THS, ranging from the aging roof to the old windows, refurbishing the entire exterior of the building, electrical and plumbing replacement, to hazardous material removal and complete replacement of the gymnasium.
“As you can see these are not small items that can just be ‘fixed’,” she said. “In addition, the state will not reimburse the cost of most repairs. The cost of these mandatory fixes without a single classroom improvement is $78 million on the low end, if we did all the repairs at once. If they are spread over time we have a 4.5 percent annual construction escalation cost.”
Doing the math
Since its first forum, Vote Yes member Keri Hoehne said she’s spoken to many people about the proposal.
“The cost is scary at first, and we’ve had to clarify the numbers for people, because a big point that needs to be made is about the money,” Putnam said. “Once we explain to people that our cost for the new high school is $74 million, people don’t jump up and down when they hear it, but it’s not as much. We’ve explained how the reimbursement will work, and people have a better understanding.”
“Once people look at the math and realize what they’re getting, they’re more comfortable,” Hoehne said.
The Torrington Public School website, torrington.org, has a section dedicated to the building project, at www.thsbuildingproject .org/