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The What

The What: School Construction Updates: ICE in CT; Manresa Hearing Continues in Norwalk; and more

The What is your look around southwest Connecticut for the week of August 31.

The What: School Construction Updates: ICE in CT; Manresa Hearing Continues in Norwalk; and more
How is summer (basically) over already...(Photo by Kelly Prinz)

Monday, August 31

Happy Monday! We hope you all had a great back to school so far and if you’re anything like me, you’re soaking up the last few days of summer. But it is starting to get busy so let’s dive in.

Highlights 

This section gives a brief overview of the key items in the newsletter.

Spotlight

This section features our main reporting each week.

Central Middle School Principal Tom Healy speaks at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new school. (Courtesy of Greenwich Schools)

When students in Greenwich returned to Central Middle School this week, they walked into a brand-new state-of-the-art facility.

The $112 million project for a 125,000-square-foot school replaced a building that quite literally was falling apart. In February 2022, the building had to be shut down for emergency repairs as the town “made the decision to close the building until it is deemed safe for occupancy.” 

“I want to say thank you to every elected official…because it really all started when that building over there was condemned,” Greenwich Superintendent Toni Jones said at the ribbon cutting ceremony in August. “I will never forget that call. Sometimes through adversity that’s how we end up with something wonderful in our life. And going through that was worth every single minute to end up with this beautiful school.” 

But Central Middle School students aren’t the only ones who will be attending a new school in the coming years. There are more than $1 billion worth of school construction projects currently underway or in design across the region. 

One of the biggest reasons districts say they’re building new facilities is to make up for years of underinvestment and delayed maintenance. But many of these projects wouldn’t be possible without significant support from the state of Connecticut. 

Westhill High School in Stamford, one of the largest school construction projects (if not the largest) in the state’s history, is receiving an 80% reimbursement rate from the state, meaning the state will pick up about 80% of the project. The Norwalk High School project is also receiving an 80% reimbursement rate, while the Dwight Elementary School and Early Childhood Learning Center will receive a 75% reimbursement rate. 

Dive into some of those projects and what they could mean for students across the region. 

This Week at a Glance

This section includes a list of meetings, events, and programming happening around southwest Connecticut each week.

Bridgeport

Featured Meetings: The Planning and Zoning Commission (on Monday, August 31 at 6 p.m.) and the Public Safety & Transportation Committee (on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 6 p.m.) are discussing a proposal for a temporary construction easement at 925 Brewster Street for the construction of the Ash Creek pedestrian bridge.

Stamford

Featured Meeting: No featured meeting this week

Norwalk

Featured Meetings: The Planning and Zoning Commission will meet on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 6 p.m. and continue reviewing the proposal for a public park and event space at Manresa Islands, called Manresa Wilds. Explore the plans for Manresa Wilds and what this could mean for Norwalk—and the region. In addition, the Land Use & Building Management Committee will also meet on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. and receive updates on the Norwalk High School project and the West Rocks Middle School project.

Fairfield

Featured Meeting: The Board of Finance will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. and hear a financial update on the speed camera program in town.

Greenwich

Featured Meetings: There will be a forum with Aquarion, Eversource and Connecticut Natural Gas on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. to discuss “capacity issues in Greenwich and the State of Connecticut,” according to First Selectman Fred Camillo. Also, on Tuesday, Sept. 1, the  Planning & Zoning Commission will meet at 4 p.m. and hold a preliminary application review on Alpha School, which uses a “two-hour learning model,” relying on AI and software-based instruction and then working on other skills, such as public speaking and entrepreneurship. The school is proposing to change the property at 20 East Elm Street from retail to school.

Darien

Featured Meeting: The Board of Selectmen will meet on Monday, August 31 at 7 p.m. to review and take action on the mission of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Commission as well as discuss the proposed 10-year master plan. 

Westport

Featured Meeting: No featured meeting this week.

Stay in touch!

As we continue to grow and evolve, please join us! You can do that by:

Please note: All of these agendas and information here are current as of Sunday night. Meeting times and agendas may get adjusted throughout the week.

Have a great week,

Kelly Prinz

Founder, Reporter at Coastal Connecticut Times

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