Willington New School Project: At A Glance

WILLINGTON, CT — The Willington School Building Committee is recommending that a new school should be built, rather than renovate Center School and Hall Memorial School. The schools currently house students in pre-K through Grade 4 and Grades 5 through 8, respectively.

A town meeting is tentatively scheduled for March 14 with an anticipated March 28 referendum.

Here is the project, at a glance:

Location: Glass Factory Road.

Projected price tag: $60,634,235 without an auditorium and $66,564,350 with an auditorium.

Cost: After the town applies for state reimbursement, the least-expensive option is $28,700,000 and the most costly is $43,400,000.

Referendum questions: The ballot will ask taxpayers to first approve a new school and then say yes or no to the auditorium.

If voters turn the project down: Building committee members said the town would still be left with $19 million worth of renovations that will not see any "budget savings," not impact "the learning environment" and the town "will still have two aged facilities."

Potential cost overruns: The project budget includes a contingency line item.

Calculating the tax impact: Taxpayers can determine it via an estimator at www.willingtionct.gov.

New building highlights: Flexible classrooms that can be reconfigured; updated environmental systems; reduced maintenance costs; full ADA compliance and local building code compliance; maximum usage of natural light; up-to-date security and safety features; separate parent and bus drop-off and pickup areas; improved sports and recreation facilities; a campus that sits back from a busy road and offers a "lower impact" on the area; improved recreational facilities for residents; expansion options.