SHOVELS HIT THE DIRT
New budget year clears way for projects from GHS athletic fields to civic center
GREENWICH — With the start of a new fiscal year in Greenwich, the town has begun working on a number of longawaited municipal capital projects, with the shovel in the ground at some sites and design work nearing completion at others.
The start of the town’s new fiscal year on July 1 released funds for many of the projects, including remediating contaminated athletic fields at Greenwich High School for another summer and preparing to demolish the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center to make way for its replacement.
Two major school projects in town — a new Central Middle School and major renovations at Old Greenwich School — received money for design work but are a year away from construction.
Here is a closer look at five big projects that are slated to see shovels go into the ground over the next 12 months.
Greenwich High School fields
One budgeted project that is moving forward quickly is the remediation of contaminated soil at Greenwich High School.
The work is expected to take at least two summers to complete.
As part of the remediation, artificial turf fields three and four are being replaced.
This summer’s work is budgeted at $14 million for 2022-23.
A total of $12 million has already been spent on the project, allowing the town to get a bid for the work and completed the advance preparations, including the installation of a fence around the restricted work zone.
Bulldozers are digging up and moving out the contaminated soil so new clean soil can be put in place.
“The work continued throughout (this previous) winter and spring on materials procurement and other details, and the contractor was able to mobilize before school was out to help prepare for the large amount of soil removal that will occur this summer,” said Renee Wallace, the Department of Public Works’ communication specialist.
The project is on schedule, Superintendent of Schools Toni Jones said. “We are very grateful for (DPW Commissioner) Amy Seibert and her team at DPW, the Department of Parks and Recreation, and the GPS Facilities department who have managed to navigate the challenges with the full campus closure for the second summer, with just one more to go,” Jones said.
The state and federal governments signed off on the remediation plan before work began. With work taking place only
during the summer break, the town said the project could extend to 2024 and 2025.
Eastern Greenwich Civic Center
Construction of a new Eastern Greenwich Civic Center was approved in last year’s budget, and the wrecking ball is scheduled to swing this summer to raze the old building.
The new fiscal year’s budget includes $690,000 for the more than $25 million project.
Internal remediation of the old building, which is fenced off, is now underway in preparation for the demolition, according to Luigi Romano, interim superintendent of building construction and maintenance.
No date has been set for the demolition.
“We expect the abatement and other predemolition work to be completed this month,” Romano said. “The demolition of the building would then proceed, followed by the start of construction on the new Cohen Eastern Greenwich Civic Center this fall.”
The new one-story 35,418-square-foot building, which will be constructed on the footprint of the old building, will include a full-size multiuse gymnasium with rollout spectator seating, 8,100 square feet of multiuse event space and three 1,000-square-foot activity rooms.
The $690,000 approved for 2022-23 will cover administrative costs during the demolition and construction.
The town had initially budgeted $21.5 million for the project, which is partially paid for by private donations, but it authorized an additional $4.04 million earlier this year after construction costs went up.
Wesskum Wood Road Bridge
Old Greenwich is in middle of a major bridge replacement project near Binney Park — and work is slated to begin on another bridge next spring on the
other side of the park.
A $2 million expenditure is budgeted to replace the Wesskum Wood Road bridge, which connects Sound Beach Avenue to Arch Street and travels over Binney Park Brook. The project will go out to bid in the fall, with construction expected to start in spring, according to the DPW’s Renee Wallace.
The bridge has been rated in poor condition “due to deep spalls and exposed steel beams, with visible hollow areas,” the town said.
The state is expected to reimburse the town for 50 percent of the project’s cost.
In Old Greenwich, the detour was recently lifted at the Sound Beach Avenue bridge replacement project, allowing one lane of traffic to travel over at a time. The work will continue through the summer.
The Board of Selectmen would have to approve a road closure or detour, if needed, for the Wesskum Wood Road project.
Byram pedestrian safety
Community members concerned about pedestrian safety are applauding the long-awaited $300,000 budgeted to begin a multiyear
improvement project in downtown Byram.
This year’s funds will partially cover the costs of the preliminary and final designs, which will be completed over the summer and fall. “We would anticipate the construction starting either later in the fall or spring of 2023,” said Renee
Wallace, the DPW communication specialist.
The Byram Neighborhood Association pushed heavily for the project, which focuses on pedestrian measures and traffic calming.
“Byram is the very definition of a close-knit community,” BNA President Joe
Kantorski said last year about the need for the work. “It’s a walking community. Street safety and pedestrian safety are always on the top of mind. Irresponsible, dangerous driving threatens our safety and our quality of life — plain and simple.”
His presentation was
cited as a reason for going forward with the project. The town is expected to seek additional allocations of $300,000 in both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 fiscal budgets to finish the project.
Chimes Building
The renovation and restoration of the Chimes Building, a historic and beloved structure at Greenwich Point, will be tackled as part of a public-private partnership.
The Greenwich Point Conservancy has raised part of the needed $1.2 million in funds, with the town supplying $325,000 from this year’s budget and a state grant covering $400,000 of the cost.
The work is slated to begin in the fall — after the beach season ends, said Chris Franco, president of the conservancy.
But first, the town Planning and Zoning Commission must approve the final plans and the RTM must accept the gift of the private funds.
There is also a partnership with the nonprofit Emily Catherine Fedorko Foundation to restore the chimes.
“We are particularly excited about the chimes being restored,” Franco said. “It’s a very, very special instrument dating back to 1901, and it’s one of the finest in the world. … It’s so unique and in such intact condition even though it’s not operating properly yet.
“It will be on a mechanical basis as it was originally designed, but we’re also adding a computerized feature to it so there will be a second set of strikers on each of the 16 bells and we’ll be able to play up to 600 songs,” he said.
The town’s funds will pay to replace the electrical system, which it shares with the Old Greenwich Yacht Club. “Increased electrical power is needed to meet code,” the town said.
Additionally, the town will cover the cost of a new septic system; the current one is below the flood elevation point and it must be raised.