$4.18M Upgrade To Bethel High School AC Will Go To Town Meeting

BETHEL, CT — The town will hold a special town meeting to discuss a $4.18 million appropriation for upgrades to Bethel High School's heating and air conditioning systems.

Schools Superintendent Christine Carver was directed by the Bethel Board of Education, Board of Selectmen, and Board of Finance to apply for the Office of School Construction HVAC grant at a joint meeting held Dec. 1. Town officials are committed to scheduling a referendum prior to Jan. 31, according to a letter from Carver issued Wednesday. Voters will set the date of the referendum at the special town meeting, scheduled for Jan. 3 in meeting room A of the Municipal Center at 6:30 p.m.

State reimbursement for the project is 46.43 percent, according to Carver. "The Town of Bethel and the Board of Education felt that with such a high reimbursement rate, it was worth the application process to address the priority issues," the superintendent said.

The scope of the project specifically addresses areas on the second and third floors of the Math and English wings that are currently not air-conditioned. Currently, the high school is the only school in town without central air-conditioning. There are currently 35 learning spaces that do not have air-conditioning, according to Carver. The school's HVAC was not updated as part of the renovations performed in 2010.

The district has already allocated around $700,000 from its Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund grant money, and the Board of Selectman has kicked in another $855,000 from the town’s American Rescue Plan Act funds. Those allocations will replace two failing HVAC units and some duct work that needs to be replaced, according to Carver.

More information is available on the website developed by the town.