Darien School Board Receives Update On Hindley, Holmes, Royle Projects

DARIEN, CT — The Darien Board of Education this week received an update on the Hindley, Holmes and Royle renovation projects, and unanimously approved design development documents and budget estimates associated with the plans.

Travis Schnell from KG&D Architects walked the board through a presentation which detailed the differences between past schematic drawings and current design development documents, focusing on exterior design, interior design and stormwater drainage improvements.

The latest renderings of the designs and estimates for the school projects scheduled for completion in the fall of 2025 can be found here.

Cost Estimates

Schnell said KG&D two independent construction cost estimates from O&G/AP Construction and Nasco Construction Services were similar.

Averaging the estimates, Hindley's cost came out to $26.5 million (between $600K-1.4M under budget); Holmes was at $27.5 million (between $1.8M-$2M over budget); and Royle was a little over $28 million (between $700K-$1.4M under budget).

"The takeaway is that the project is in a good place with where we are with this design and design development," Schnell said.

The following is a brief summary on proposed plans at each school, according to the presentation from Schnell.

Hindley Elementary School

Three portable classrooms and the existing library are proposed to be demolished at Hindley.

Proposed new construction includes a one-story addition for special subjects, an entrance plaza adjacent to the bus loop; and a new asphalt play area.

Site modifications include new parking spaces to the bus loop circle, improved stormwater management with piping and catch basins and additional landscape plantings. Site access work centers on extending the bus loop southward and removing and relocating the bus entrance curb cut. A new right turn only curb cut would be added directly the Post Road.

Holmes Elementary School

Two portable classrooms would be demolished and the asphalt play area removed.

A one story addition to the library first floor is proposed, along with a two-story classroom addition on the west side of the building. A one-story music and main entrance addition to the north and northeast end are proposed.

Site modifications include adding parking spaces to existing lots, increasing the total number of spaces on campus to around 94. Subsurface catch basins would be added on campus, along with an emergency access road on the north side of the building.

Royle Elementary School

Three portable classrooms, one-story first-grade classroom wing on the north end, a library wing and an asphalt play area would be demolished at Royle.

A one-story addition to the 1950s building's east side first floor would be built. A two-story classroom addition on the east side is proposed, as is a one-story music and art addition on the footprint of the north end demolition.

Building improvements for all three schools call for replacing the roof membrane, adding new mechanical equipment on the roof, new photovoltaic panels on the roof. All three would also have outdoor classrooms/courtyards for social and educational uses.

Board of Education Chair David Dineen mentioned the possibility of looking into installing bollards at several locations as security measures against vehicles.

With regards to interior space, Schnell said layouts for new construction are based on previous user group discussions.

He noted that prior to Tuesday's Board of Education meeting, he met with school staff to go over the project plans.

"They are very pleased with the progress of the work, and we love their feedback because it really makes our job a lot easier," Schnell said.

The objective for the interior spaces is to create a consistent look and feel across all three schools while providing school-specific design elements at key moments, Schnell said, with a main goal of "creating an environment of inspiring spaces for learning."

Maintenance, longevity, sustainability and cost will be taken into account when selecting materials. Furniture has yet to be decided, Schnell said.

There are multiple meeting scheduled throughout the rest of January and into February with the Architectural Review Board and Planning & Zoning. An anticipated bid date of April 24 was listed.

You can watch Tuesday's Board of Education meeting on YouTube

The presentation on HHR begins at the 14-minute mark.