Here's When Construction Could Begin On The New Central Middle School

GREENWICH, CT — Construction on a new Central Middle School could begin as early as Oct. 9, 2024, according to the latest update from project officials and the CMS Building Committee. Work could conclude by June 2026.

A fifth public information session on the much-anticipated project was held last week and focused mostly on safety during construction. A new 125,000-square-foot school is being proposed on the same site as the current building. The school is expected to cost about $112 million.

Tim Klepps, a project executive from Turner Construction, said the current project as proposed will be built in two phases -- the first will include the construction of the new academic building, then there will be abatement, demolition and work on athletic fields in the second phase.

"It's very common for this approach in school construction, as well as other construction projects where we do have active facilities on the same property where we're doing construction," Klepps said.

Conversations about keeping students and staff safe during construction have been ongoing, and they will no doubt continue until the last brick is placed, CMS Building Committee Chair Tony Turner said.

"We're early to talk about safety but believe me, I'd rather be early to talk about safety than late," he said.

CMS Principal Tom Healy spoke about the advantages of having two separate sites — the new building, and the current building, where school will still be in session.

Healy said "the nice idea of putting the fence between the two places and not having the construction really overlap with daily operations should limit the impact of what is going on around the building."

"My expectation is that this is just going to be an ongoing and ever-evolving conversation and that the most important thing to keep everybody safe and comfortable with the process is to keep open transparent communication and to be very responsive to any questions or concerns that arise throughout the process," Healy added.

To that end, Healy said he expects to meet weekly during construction with school staff, stakeholders and the construction team to understand what is planned for that particular week so any pertinent adjustments can be made.

Construction equipment delivery will likely be coordinated outside of normal drop-off and pick-up time, Healy noted.

Additionally, there will be plenty of communication through school newsletters and other parent-oriented meetings to keep the school community updated with the latest construction developments.

Coordinating field access will also be crucial, as the athletic fields will be inaccessible throughout construction.

"Fortunately or unfortunately, we're not the only school to have lost fields, so we're not blazing a new trail, but it is something we are able to start thinking about now," Healy said. "Obviously it's not going to be ideal for our PE curriculum and our sports teams to be without fields for a number of years, but we do have areas in the town where we will be looking to share space. I know the district has budgeted for extra transportation to bring teams to other fields for practices and for games."

The tennis courts will still be available, Healy said, and they can be transformed into outdoor PE spaces. Details on where/when students will practice for their sports teams have not been finalized yet.

The new school and its construction will serve as an educational component for students, members on the building committee agreed.

Committee Vice Chair Clare Kilgallen, who had children at New Lebanon School when the new school was being built there, said their experience was "phenomenal."

"It's a great opportunity for them to see a building literally rise from the ground from start to finish," she said. "There are great learning opportunities to inspire future designers, and for kids to understand why they need to know math when they're trying to move furniture, or do inventory. All of the elements are great learning opportunities for our kids."

Healy agreed, saying there will be connections not only to math, but to science, too.

The road to a new school still has a few hurdles, however.

The project first needs to finish getting local regulatory approval, notably from the Greenwich Planning & Zoning Department. Secondly, state approval is needed for construction before the project can go out to bid.

Bidding is then scheduled to take place in early summer, late spring with construction projected to begin Oct. 9.

For more on the project, check out the CMS Building Committee website. Last week's public information session can be viewed in full here.