Greenwich BET Approves Funds For Central Middle School Repairs

GREENWICH, CT — The Greenwich Board of Estimate and Taxation on Tuesday approved $1.611 million to fund temporary repairs for Central Middle School.

The board voted 11-0 to approve the appropriation. One BET member was absent. The board also voted 10-0 with one abstention on $150,000 for education specifications and an environmental analysis to confirm that a potential site for a new school can accommodate the weight of a building, along with soil testing.

The construction is part of a five-year repair plan. A new school could be online by 2026.

The repairs are slated to take place over a six-week period during the summer break. CMS was closed for about two weeks last month after inspectors voiced concerns over structural safety. The building was fortified with scaffolding and netting, and students returned on Feb. 22.

The Representative Town Meeting will now have the final vote at their March 14 meeting. Once the funds are approved, a building committee will be formed, said BET Chair Dan Ozizmir.

During Tuesday's special meeting, there was some debate about the money earmarked for the environmental study.

BET member Karen Fassuliotis asked if it was premature to do testing if the school district doesn't yet know where a new school will be sited.

"Wouldn't it be wiser to wait for the building committee to do whatever their work is with the ed. specs, and then have the testing done then?" she said.

"I think the key word there is 'wait,'" responded Greenwich Public Schools Director of Facilities Dan Watson. "We're trying to expedite things, and that's why we're moving things forward."

Fassuliotis said she felt it was "kind of a chicken or the egg" situation.

"I don't think any of this is being done in the dark. As soon as the building committee, which we hope is put together relatively quick, they can work hand-in-hand with whoever is going to be doing the soil," Watson said. "Yes, it's chicken and the egg, but we can make egg sandwiches if we come out on top."

Another BET member, Davis Weisbrod, said work on the soil "is an essential prerequisite."

"I think any delay in doing the work on the soil would delay the project. The voice of the community is very clear. The voice of all people at this table is clear. We really want to expedite and not delay," Weisbrod said.

BET Democratic caucus leader, Leslie Moriarty, reiterated that the money won't be wasted.

After the vote, Fassuliotis explained that she supports the project and the education specifications, but had questions about the timing for the environmental study.

Before the meeting adjourned, Ozizmir provided a snapshot for the CMS project.

During the current budget process, the Board of Education will be requesting $2.5 million in the 2022-2023 budget for architecture and engineering work on a new school.

"This board is very excited to see Central made the number one priority. As a reminder, a year ago, this was a 2034 project," Ozizmir said. "Right now, we're potentially looking at it being appropriated in 2024, which is I think really great news for all concerned."