Central MS Project Gets Municipal Improvement Status Approval

GREENWICH, CT — The Central Middle School project took an important step this week when the Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission granted Municipal Improvement status and moved a preliminary site plan to final.

The approval paves the way for the project to pursue funding from the Greenwich Board of Estimate & Taxation. Greenwich Time reported that there have been calls to hold a special BET meeting in time for next week's Representative Town Meeting.

CMS is in need of repairs. The building was closed for two weeks in February 2022 after inspectors voiced concerns over structural safety. The building was fortified and repaired, but a new facility is needed in the next few years.

The proposal calls for a new 125,000-square-foot building to the north of the existing building in the area of the ball fields and a wooded slope in the northern section of the property.

The size of the new building appears to be about a 13 percent increase over the current school's square footage, according to P&Z documents.

A new extended driveway to the building would be built, along with a separate bus loop and new parking areas.

The existing school would be demolished and replaced with new athletic fields. The rock outcropping on the property at the entrance to the school would be removed to make space for the new fields.

During the public comment portion of the application presentation, many residents urged the commission to grant approval without delay.

State Reps. Rachel Khanna (D-149), Stephen Meskers (D-150) and Hector Arzeno (D-151) asked for the commission's approval.

Meskers has said repeatedly in the past that he cannot fight for reimbursement from the state without funding for the project. Funding would only be possible if the MI was approved.

Matthew Kane, the co-president of the CMS PTA and a parent of three Greenwich Public Schools students, including two at CMS, said it was time for action.

"This project — our school and our students cannot afford any further delay... The time of kicking the can down the road has long since passed," Kane said.

CMS Principal Thomas Healy was one of the final speakers after about an hour and a half.

"At the very base of each and every school day, our students and their parents expect that their children will come to school and return home safely. While we often take that for granted, too many instances of safety issues have occurred within our community and we can be complacent no longer," Healy said. "Our school community also deserves high-quality education befitting the residents of Greenwich, CT."

Rather than waiting for the end of the meeting, as is customary, the commission voted following public comment. The vote was unanimous.

"On behalf of the 38,000 students that will walk through the halls of the new Central Middle School over the next 75 years, we thank you all very, very much," CMS Building Committee Chair Tony Turner said following the vote.

The applicant must still do some work. Commissioners asked the applicant to review lighting, architecture, landscaping and signage before the Architectural Review Committee; conduct a more in-depth study of energy use and sustainability, with analysis and choice of systems; address the relocation of the sewer main; meet with first responders to address access to the site, and more.