Timeline Points To 2022 Groundbreaking For New Farmington HS

FARMINGTON, CT — A revised timeline for the construction of a new high school in Farmington leans toward a fall 2022 ground-breaking.

The timeline was released by Farmington officials Thursday. It puts students in the new building in 2024.

In June Farmington residents voted, by a 2-to-1 margin, to endorse a project to build a new high school on the current high school site. As of this week, a team of architects, project managers and construction managers is in place to proceed to the next phase of the project — a formal site plan and building design. The plans are expected to be completed by summer 2022, officials said.

Upon approval of the final design drawings and site plan approval by the Farmington Plan and Zoning Commission, the tentative schedule plans for a groundbreaking ceremony to be held in the late summer or early fall of 2022.

Here is the timeline:

• Design and Approvals: Now until July 2022
• Bidding and Award: July 2022 to September 2022
• Phase I- Construction of New Building: September 2022 to August 2024
• Phase II- Renovation of Central Office/Locker Rooms & Demolition of Remaining Building: June 2024 to July 2025
• Occupation: Students will occupy the new high school in August/September 2024
• Phase III: Site Work January 2025 to June 2025

Local officials said the project's building committee is working closely with the state's Office of School Construction Grants and Review to review plans. Grant applications for both the new FHS facility and the renovation of the central office and locker rooms have been submitted.

The building committee should be notified by the end of 2021 if the projects are on the priority list for reimbursement.

The project team consists of:

• Construction Solutions Group, LLC, based in West Hartford, was selected in early 2020 as the "owner's representative". As the project manager, the company oversees the planning, design, and construction phases of the project. This includes budget, project tasks timelines, and coordination of all aspects of the project.
• Hartford-based TSKP Studio selected as the architectural firm in early 2020, after a competitive design process, to design the new high school according to the educational specifications approved by the Board of Education. The firm will oversee all aspects of the design phase, including the management of specialized design consultants.
• O&G, Construction Management of Torrington was selected in September 2021 as the construction manager based on its experience with the construction of K through 12 school facilities in Connecticut and its knowledge and understanding of the FHS Building Project. O&G will be responsible for cost estimating, development of bid packages for the trade contractors required for construction, supervision of all contractors required for construction, development and maintenance of the construction schedule, and site security and safety plans throughout construction.