High School Public Hearing Tonight

As the weather gets colder, the debate over the new plan to renovate Berlin High School is heating up.  While Deputy Mayor Steve Morelli says he'll be surprised if the new $70 million proposal to renovate the school is not approved by a majority of the Town Council, Councilor Dave Evans says he still has unanswered questions about the plan.  Evans isn't ready to rule out other options and says he would like to have seen a broader approach to the issue in general.

Architects Silver Petrucelli + Associates will discuss their new proposal for the high school renovation at a public hearing tonight.  Members of the public are invited to ask questions and voice concerns about the new plan. 

With a projected cost of $69.9 million and reimbursement from the state at 32.34%, the cost to the town is expected to be about $47 million.  The plan to "renovate as new" will address all current code violations plus air quality and accessibility issues and will give the school an entirely new look.  It reconfigures the school so that entry will be through a centrally-located main office, and a 25,000 square foot addition will provide more space for science labs and other educational needs.  The plan also calls for improvements to athletic courts and parking areas on the school grounds and improvements at Sage Park.   

Silver Petrucelli + Associates had previously proposed an $83 million "renovate as new" plan referred to as 'Option 2' that called for more extensive renovations and added 50,000 square feet to the existing building.  Option 2 would have qualified for 29.6% reimbursement from the state, costing the town about $58 million.  Voters rejected Option 2 by a margin of 133 votes in June.

Deputy Mayor Steve Morelli said that in his opinion, this new $70 million plan is a "no-brainer".  "It's difficult to envision a project that would make more sense.  This is as low as we can go and still qualify for renovate as new status," he said.  "The town has to decide if we're going to renovate as new or address issues one at a time.  If we have to renovate piecemeal, we won't get reimbursement from the state." 

Morelli added that under the previously rejected Option 1 plan to more modestly renovate the school and add 25,000 square feet at a cost of $25 million, the town would only have received a very small reimbursement from the state.  Under that option, he said the town would have paid $23 million and would only have fixed 6 percent of the high school.  Under the new plan, he said we pay $45 million and get a brand new school. 

To opponents of the new plan who think it's too expensive, Morelli suggested they look at it in terms of this $23 million versus $45 million example and that they look at it in terms of 15 or 20 years.  He said tax increases will be incremental and everything that has to get done will have to get done sooner or later.  He added one point that he feels hasn't received much attention, that the new school will be much safer with entry to the building in one central location.

                  Councilor Dave Evans expressed concerns about the 'total cost of ownership' of this plan as compared to the other plans considered in the past.  He said cost of ownership refers to costs that are incurred over the long term, not just the initial cost to build or renovate the school.  He also wants to see more specific estimates of operating costs for the new building such as heating, cooling and electricity.  "Costs are very different depending on which options you choose.  If we were to build a new smaller school, the operating costs would likely be lower," he said.  Evans said he's asked for the total cost of various options but hasn't received anything.  "No comprehensive look has taken place, even comparing the new plan to the current high school," he said. 

                  Councilor Evans said the architects' proposal itself is not specific enough.  "It's just an architect's estimate.  There are conceptual drawings, but the final result could be very different from that.  I don't think people are comfortable with that," he said.

                  Evans would like to have seen a more comprehensive approach from the beginning of the entire process.  "We should have had teams of architects and contractors compete and present different ideas instead of using just one architect," he said.

Among members of the public who were randomly polled at the Berlin-Peck Memorial Library on Monday, no one planned to attend the hearing on Tuesday evening.  In fact, none of the residents even knew about the hearing.  However, many did voice support for the new proposal. 

A mother of three elementary students, Lisa Turgeon, said she's still upset that the $83 million plan didn't go through.  She lives next to the high school said she sees the problems first hand.  She lamented the fact that even the parking lot problems have not been addressed.  "Nothing has been done to the school since I went there," she said.  "I feel it's important.  Things need to be fixed."

                  Bill Howard, 69, also said he was disappointed the Option 2 plan failed.  "I have no problem providing an adequate high school for this town," he said.  Howard had initially supported the plan to build an entirely new high school, but says now he'll support the new $70 million plan.  He also suggested the plan ought to include a swimming pool.

                  College student Craig Cugno graduated from Berlin High School in 2007 and remembered spending many hot days in the school without air conditioning.  He said the air system would be a good place to start but that it's "about time" for a renovation.  "I know it's a lot of money, but I'd support spending it on education," he said.

                  "It's time for an update," said Jillian Kusek, another recent Berlin High graduate.  Kusek was in the class of 2005 and recalled that the school always felt "run down and crowded".  "It's expensive, but I feel it will be worthwhile in the long run," she said.

                  One woman who did not want to be identified because she works for the town said she thought of Option 2 as an "extreme makeover" and voted against it.  She said the new plan is still too expensive even with state reimbursement, which she added is still "our money".  Yet, she feels that if the town is going to spend $47 million, the high school should at least have an indoor swimming pool, something the entire community can use.