The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Planning & Zoning approves school building project
Concerns about traffic, buses remain
TORRINGTON — Members of the Planning & Zoning Commission and City Planner Jeremy Liefert have approved the city’s $180 million school building project, though concerns remain about traffic and sustainable practices such as solar panels.
The School Building Committee requested special exception permits and site plan approval for the middle and high school buildings and new administrative offices for the school district, replacing the aging Torrington High School, which will be torn down once the new construction is completed.
Amy Samuelson, representing the SLAM Collaborative, the project designer, answered a number of questions regarding traffic concerns raised by police Sgt. Dustin Baldis.
“There are some traffic concerns that still need to be worked out with the intersection of Winthrop Street,” Liefert said, referring to reports and comments from Baldis.
“There still has to be some analysis on traffic, and it still has to have a solution. But I think we’re in a good position at this point,” Liefert said.
Baldis has requested that all bus traffic entering and leaving the school property during construction should enter the school campus using the rear, or “north drive,” according to Liefert.
Commission member Starley Arias asked how those buses would affect nearby neighborhoods.
“My understanding is that the buses will be coming from the back area of the high school; (that area has) been closed and not used,” he said. “There’s a small condo neighborhood there, plus the cul de sac neighborhood up on the hill. They haven’t seen any bus traffic, but now we’re using it as a method of bringing students into the high school during construction . ... Traffic could cause issues for those communities.”
Building committee cochairman Ed Arum said
no other traffic would be allowed except for the buses. “Buses come in, the gates are closed, and when school ends, the buses come back in to pick up the kids,” he said. “Nobody else is allowed to go there.”
Baldis’ biggest concern, according to Liefert, is traffic at the three-way intersection on Winthrop Street and Major Besse Drive. Even with buses diverted, incoming and outgoing vehicles and pedestrians using the crosswalks could cause traffic jams and other hazards, Baldis said.
“Sgt. Baldis said there will be traffic jams at the three-way (intersection), and that something should be done about it now rather than later,” Liefert said.
In his own memo of approval, the city planner set a condition that any and all traffic problems must be resolved before the certificate of occupancy is issued.
“We recommend that the applicant stay in touch with Officer Baldis and work those concerns out,” he said.
Arum said he and the committee would continue their discussions with Baldis. “We have met with the sergeant many times, and we’ll continue to meet with him,” he said. “We’re also meeting with the bus drivers.”
Arias also asked whether solar panels and other “sustainable systems” for the new building were being considered.
“You said you designed the school to have solar panels, but they’re not in the design,” he said. “Or (are there) backup generators; a sustainable system for the school in the event of freak weather.”
Samuelson said the buildings have a generator that would provide power in case of emergencies. “That includes all lighting, safety systems, alarm systems, access control, and a lot of other items,” she said. “As a sustainability measure, we’ve designed the building with the ability to put solar panels on the roof, and sized the roof to accommodate those (panels).”
Arias said, “Our state is moving to be more sustainable, to be a green state,” he said. “I want to be sure all future projects we approve are in line with those goals.”
Arum said the building committee didn’t put solar panels in this design. “We don’t want to put the panels in until the building is done,” he said. “We want to make sure we have enough money to build a school for the kids of Torrington.”