Old Greenwich School Municipal Improvement OK'd By Planning & Zoning

GREENWICH, CT — The much-needed Old Greenwich School (OGS) renovation project took one step closer to becoming reality on Tuesday, with the Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously approving Municipal Improvement (MI) status and a site-plan approval.

The project must now be funded by the Greenwich Board of Estimate and Taxation.

The BET has rejected funds for the project along party lines on two occassions in the past six months, with Republicans saying they needed to go through a more thorough process in planning for the project, and wanted more time to evaluate alternatives, such as building a new school altogether.

The renovations are expected to cost around $42 million.

James Waters, chair of the Old Greenwich School Building Committee, thanked the P&Z Commission for their unanimous support in a statement to Patch after the approval.

"Receiving Municipal Improvement status is a huge milestone and enables us, once again, to seek construction funding from the BET. Hopefully the third time will be a charm as we have now answered all process-oriented objections, including new ones implemented in the past four weeks. If the BET and RTM approve, our state delegation will seek special legislation in the near term so that we can commence construction in summer 2024," Waters said.

OGS was built in 1902, and there have been additions to the building in 1950, 1957, and 1995, with some renovations in 1993.

The building has suffered from poor ventilation, sewage problems, flooding issues, a lack of a secure entryway and fire protection, and notably ADA noncompliance over the years.

The school was the subject of a compaint filed in 2021 with United States Department of Education's Office for Civil RIghts over its lack of accessibility.

The Greenwich Public Schools District reached an agreement to bring the building into compliance with the 2010 ADA standards.

"At some point, if we fail to act, I worry what will happen if the town fails to fulfill its promise. Your approval helps to take the next step and avoid that outcome," Waters said, nothing that "people want to see this project done, and they want it done now."

The proposed renovations would include a one-story, four-classroom addition of approximately 7,500 sqaure feet which would house kindergarten classrooms.

There would also be a ground-level, accessible main entrance to the existing school building, and comprehensive renovations to address ADA compliance and FEMA flood zone regulations.

The building would be modernized to include air conditioning, improved ventilation and fire protection, and upgraded sanitary and storm drainage systems. An elevator to each floor level would greatly improve accessibility.

Associated site and landscaping improvements would also be included.

Staff from architecture and engineering firm Silver Petrucelli & Associates said traffic patterns will remain the same in keeping with the idea of a pedestrian-minded school. There would be no impact to parking, driveway access, bus routes or playing fields, the firm said.

Many residents spoke during the public comment period and offered support for the project. They urged the commission to grant approval.

State Rep. Steve Meskers (D-150) called the approval "imperative."

"Without the MI, the appropriation won't happen. Without the appropriation, I can't fulfill my role as your state rep. to wrestle the state to the ground to maximize the reimbursement of this project for the benefit of all the taxpayers in Greenwich," Meskers said. "The sooner that happens, the higher my ability to negotiate and the ability to get funds."

OGS Principal Jen Bencivengo also spoke briefly and pointed to recent sewage problems at the school.

"There is no one who loses more sleep about Old Greenwich School than I do. Just this weekend, I spent many hours in the middle of the night on the phone with our custodians making sure that our building was safe and healthy and sewage-free on Monday morning for our students," she said. "That should not be my job as an educational professional. It should not be my job as the principal of the school. What needs to be my job is focusing on the education of the 400-plus students who walk in our doors every day."

Prior to obtaining final coastal site-plan approval, the applicant will review any possible on-site pedestrian safety upgrades, address substantial improvement issues with a zoning enforcement officer, appear before the Architecture Review Committee for a review of architecutre, lighting, landscape and signage, and provide vehicle turning movement digrams demonstrating first repsonder vehicles and delivery vehicles can appropraitely move throughout the site, among other tasks.

The entire Planning & Zoning discussion on Old Greenwich School can be viewed here. Discussion begins at the 1 hour, 20 minute mark.