Southington PZC Backs Bonding For Massive School Building Project

SOUTHINGTON, CT — The Southington Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously endorsed a key step in advancing a proposed $86.7 million school facilities bond, sending a positive recommendation to the Southington Town Council following a March 17 meeting.

The commission reviewed a mandatory 8-24 referral for a bond ordinance that would fund projects under the town’s Elementary Facilities Plan.

The proposal includes the construction of a new Kelley Elementary School, renovations at South End Elementary School, and the eventual closure of Flanders Elementary School, with its building repurposed for municipal and community use.

PZC member Todd Chaplinsky cited the town’s 2016 Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) in support of the proposal, reading language that anticipates long-term planning for school facilities and the possibility of consolidation if enrollment declines.

“The Plan of Conservation and Development does not get involved in day-to-day operations of individual departments,” Chaplinsky said, quoting the document. “Rather, the plan seeks to identify potential community facility needs such as buildings and sites so that they can be anticipated and planned for.”

He also referenced a section noting that “if enrollment decreases and is realized in the future, this may allow for consolidation to one less elementary school.”

“In recognition of the content that I just read in the 2016 POCD document, I am recommending a positive referral for mandatory 8-24 to the town council,” Chaplinsky said.

Southing PZC Chairman Steve Walowski said the commission’s role is procedural, with final decisions resting with voters.

“Following protocol, the recommendation will go to the town council, then to a referendum where residents will decide if they want this or not,” Walowski said, adding that the POCD provides a long-term framework addressing multiple facilities. “It does not leave us coming back asking for more. It’s a good thing.”

The commission voted 7-0 in favor of the positive recommendation, with Chaplinsky making the motion and commissioner Robert Britton seconding it.

The referral stems from a broader two-phase facilities plan adopted by the Southington Board of Education in February on an 8–1 vote.

Under the first phase, voters would be asked in a June 2026 referendum to approve funding for a new, larger Kelley Elementary School and an expansion at South End Elementary School.

If approved, construction would begin following the referendum and state grant process, with consolidation targeted for fall 2030.

The plan calls for closing Flanders Elementary School after the projects are completed and redrawing attendance boundaries across the district’s remaining elementary schools.

District officials estimate the total local share of the full, multi-phase plan at approximately $104.3 million.

That includes $43.9 million for the Kelley and South End projects, and $60.5 million for a second phase that would require a future referendum to build a new Derynoski Elementary School and relocate the Karen Smith Academy.

The town council is expected to take up the bond ordinance next, before any referendum is scheduled.

For the minutes of the March 17 Southington Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, click on this link.

From March 15: 'TONIGHT: Southington Unveils Timeline For Massive School Building Project, Hearing Tonight'

From Feb. 26: 'Southington Plans To Close One School Amid Massive School Construction Project'