East Granby Elementary Schools Project to Include Alternates

The bids for Phase II of the $11.8 million elementary schools improvement project came in low enough to include extra upgrades to two schools, according to school officials.

A total of 12 subcontractors were approved by the town’s building committee last week to work on Phase II, the primary thrust of which is the addition of four new classrooms at the R.D. Seymour Elementary School.

Phase I of the project mostly involved the abatement of hazardous materials from both Seymour and Allgrove School.

Superintendent of Schools Christine Mahoney told the Board of Education at its regular meeting Tuesday evening that the bids, which were opened by the town on Oct. 3, were favorable enough that alternates, such as replacing windows, upgrading the electrical systems and renovating the toilet rooms in the classrooms at both Seymour and Allgrove, would also be included in the project.

School board member Michele Holt said that she was concerned about the amount of noise that will be generated by the construction and asked what, if anything, could be done to mitigate loud sounds.

“Construction is construction,” Mahoney replied. “The early part is the noisiest part, with the excavating and drilling. … They will try to work with us to minimize the noise as much as possible.”

In other business, Mahoney said that, while budget season is months away, the school district may want to consider several cost-saving measures for fiscal year 2012-13.

Among the suggestions is charging students who use school-provided band instruments a fee for the maintenance of those instruments.

Mahoney said that the school district currently spends about $1,000 on the upkeep of school-owned instruments.

“It’s just something to look at as we move forward toward the budget process,” Mahoney said.

Mahoney also announced that the school district received a $5,000 donation from Rockbestos Suprenant Cable Corporation.

The money will be allocated based on requests submitted by students and staff members who demonstrate a need, Mahoney said.

In the past, such donations were used to upgrade technology in the schools, improve the reading program and help teachers obtain additional training, said Mahoney, who thanked Rockbestos Suprenant for the money.

“It has been a wonderful source of funds,” Mahoney said. “We’re extremely grateful for the donation.”