Byram Parents Rally for 'Scheme B' New Lebanon School Plan

The Greenwich Board of Selectmen is waiting for the Board of Education to decide next Tuesday on which plan it will recommend for the rebuilding of New Lebanon School in Byram.

Meanwhile at the selectmen’s meeting Thursday, parents made it clear there community unity in support of what is called Scheme B — a plan to build a new 57,000 square foot school on the adjacent athletic fields on William Street West.

New Lebanon School parent Oscar Rodriguez who’s also a member of the Byram Neighborhood Association, told the selectmen Thursday said the community is behind Scheme B rather than Scheme D which calls for construction of a new school on the current school site, and would force relocation of students during the anticipated two-year construction period.

He said nearly 400 residents have signed a petition in support of Scheme B which they hope would incorporate a village green as a hub for the tight-knit community on the western end of town. “The community is not divided,” Rodriguez told the selectmen.

Once the school board decides on which plan it will pursue, the plan will come before the selectmen for a vote to approve it for municipal improvement status. That status approval is required by town regulations before the plan can be submitted to the Planning and Zoning Board for review.

The plan also is to be submitted to the state which could provide up to 80 percent funding of the anticipated cost of about $30 million.

“Our option will be to say yea or nay on the Board of Education’s recommendation,” First Selectman Peter Tesei said. “What is clear there is a deep commitment to get this done and done right.”

Meanwhile, the newly-appointed New Lebanon School building committee will hold its inaugural meeting at 11:30 a.m. June 18 at Town Hall, according to Tesei. The committee— comprised of parents, architects and members of the school board and Board of Estimate and Taxation, is expected to elect a chairman, vice chair and secretary and set its meeting schedule.

Photo: the athletic fields on William Street West where one plan would locate the New Lebanon School. Credit: Barbara Heins.