Facilities Staff Makes Progress NCPS' Capital Projects

NEW CANAAN, CT — New Canaan Public Schools is making significant progress on the several maintenance and capital improvement projects district-wide that are overseen by the school district's Facilities Department, officials announced this week.

According to Facilities Manager Daniel Clarke and Assistant Facilities Manager John Perna, more than 30 planned and a total of 21 completed projects were funded by the New Canaan Board of Education's 2018-2019 operating budget.

Clarke told the board during a meeting Monday night that there were carryover projects from prior Capital Budget years (13 projects: 4 completed, 6 in progress, and 3 pending), while the current year’s Capital Budget projects total 19, with 8 completed, 10 in progress and one pending.

One of the district’s many key improvements within its facilities projects updates was the refurbishment of the gym floor at New Canaan High School.

"This is certainly a project that we knew would be one of the most impactful," said Clarke, "because of its importance in the school and the community and the fact that it has to serve for years to come."

The project involved resurfacing 16,000 square feet of hard wood in a time-frame that would fit between the end of the district’s Summer Enrichment program in late July to the beginning of the school year in late August, according to officials.

"The entire project took three weeks to be completed," Clarke added. "The work included sanding the original wood, making any repairs, painting, then adding multiple coats of a water-based finish and insuring that all the layers bonded."

The floor painting included adding a new modern logo, coloring in the basketball court keys, and improving the overall effect of the court, which is used for both girls and boys basketball and volleyball, as well as Parks and Rec clubs, youth leagues, and camps throughout the year.

"We built all the factors into our timetable, like making sure we conditioned the gym space allowing the product to adhere and the paint to dry. And the project was completed on time," said Clarke.

In addition to the gym floor, several Energy Conservation Projects have been completed or are underway, including updating the energy management system and working with the town on alternative energy, with one proposed project that would make the roofs of our schools solar ready, according to officials.

"These projects open up the door to more savings and more incentive money," said Perna.

Photo credit: New Canaan Public Schools

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