Committee to oversee renovations at 3 Darien elementary schools
Hindley, Holmes and Royle to remove portables, update educational spaces
DARIEN — A committee has been approved to oversee the renovations planned for three of the town’s elementary schools.
The committee will oversee the renovation and construction work at Hindley, Holmes and Royle elementary schools. While each school charge was voted on separately for grant reasons, the three projects will be handled by the same committee.
“It’s exciting to see the projects come forward and they’ll serve the town well,” Superintendent of Schools Alan Addley told the Representative Town Meeting this week.
The RTM approved the formation of the committee on Monday, the last of the three town bodies to give the committee the goahead.
The committee includes representatives from the Board of Selectmen, a member of the finance board and a school board member.
Some of the committee’s work will include selecting an architect, construction manager and other professionals and negotiating the fees. It will also be involved in the design process, including the drawings and schematics.
One of the key tasks will be applying for state funding by June 30 “to ensure occupancy” by September 2025, according to the committee’s charge.
The funding requests will later come before the town boards.
The estimated cost for the Hindley renovations is between $21
million and $23 million, between $15 million and $17 million for Holmes, and between $19 million and $20 million for Royle, according to a presentation on the projects done in May.
“Equity is a big consideration, but this does not necessarily mean that each school is an exact copy of the others,” said Clara Sartori, the RTM education committee chair.
She added that while the work varies between the buildings, “each school has been found to be in good condition for its age.”
The library renovations will be extensive at Hindley and Royle, while less complex at Holmes because the space there is workable, she said.
Hindley’s renovation plans also include adding music rooms, learning commons and two classrooms. Hindley’s current Developmental
Learning Center will join the other two at the new Ox Ridge School. These programs are designed to support students with autism and developmental delays. The expansion would add 10,300 square feet, with 3,000 square feet demolished and 3,300 removed, according to the previous presentation.
Holmes would get an additional two classrooms, with music, specialized spaces and a renovation to create a learning commons. An additional 7,500 square feet will be built and 1,700 square feet would be removed.
Royle will also add music classrooms, learning commons and an additional four classrooms. Royle’s Early Learning Program will move to the new Ox Ridge School.
Consolidating the Early Learning Program to Ox Ridge freed up classroom spaces at Royle and Hindley, which are now vacant and can be redesigned — one of the key factors for the renovation projects being able to happen now.
“A lot of this was set in motion with the work on the Ox Ridge School that was done,” Board of
Education Chairman David Dineen said.
“Overall, I think it’s a good investment in these schools,” he said. “It’s very specific to the educational space and the libraries and it aligns with the master plan.”
First Selectwoman Jayme Stevenson said she supports creating this committee.
“We remember when these elementary schools were updated previously and we look forward to working with the Board of Education in collaboration to make these improvements,” she said.