Portable Classroom Use Outlined For Tolland's Birch Grove School

TOLLAND, CT — Tolland Superintendent of Schools Walter Willett on Wednesday distributed a letter explaining the process of setting up portable classrooms while the Birch Grove Primary School crumbling foundation issue is addressed.

The ballot question for the repair work has been appoved for Tolland's May 7, referendum. The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Tolland Public Library Program Room.

The question reads:

"Shall the Town of Tolland appropriate $46,000,000 for the Birch Grove Primary School Project and authorize the issue of bonds and notes in the same amount to finance said appropriation? Yes/No."

See more on the school here.

The superintendent's letter reads:

"I am writing on behalf of school and town personel to provide some information with regard to the site location of the portables for the Birch Grove Primary Foundation project, and to express our sincere gratitude for your patience and understanding as we have worked through, and continue to work through, this process.

"In addressing the location of the portable classrooms the primary consideration has been the safety of children. Accordingly thought was given to fire, emergency, and transportation plans and access, wetlands, the location of leeching fields and septic or sewer resources, power supply options, and other considerations. Finally, the State of Connecticut through the School Construction office has requirements on the matter as well.

"Each of the aforementioned considerations, when applied to the potential sites, narrowed the options. The High School, for example, was ruled out due to access road constraints, wetlands, and the proximity to the highway. The Middle School lower fields were ruled out due to wetlands, leeching fields, and septic/sewer resources.

"Over the last few weeks sites were vetted and systematically eliminated based on cost, logistics, safety, transportation, or sewer/septic constraints. Decisions were also made based on financial considerations as the funds used to make sites acceptable were funds that could not later be used on the school renovation itself.

"This week a determination was made to locate the portables on the Birch Grove property itself. The site of the "portable" Birch Grove Primary School will be located, for the roughly two-year duration of the renovation of the BGP Building, near the location of the current baseball field. A basic map of the portable site and construction areas will be posted as soon as it becomes available. A play-scape will be on location.

"The site will have separate parking, and traffic/transportation/bus access than the construction site. In addition, a perimeter fence will be set up around the construction site to provide a physical barrier.

"The administration of the Tolland Public Schools and town officials are accustomed to projects that have been done on or near school grounds. These include the geothermal projects at both TIS and TMS, and the renovation of the old Parker building into senior housing that shares the same site as Tolland Intermediate School. The school and town staff are accustomed to, and adept at, making sure all safety measures are taken and that projects are done with minimal impacts to instruction. Of course even "minimal" impacts still represent something outside the "norm" of the typical educational process – but student safety has never, and will never, be compromised.

"Background checks, physical separation barriers, carefully timed construction, different access points, security measures, and all health and safety requirements will be executed to ensure students’ educational experience is a safe and productive one. While there will definitely be a lot of activity, even that activity can become a teachable moment. Educators will make the most of the situation, and in the end the community will have a building that will be useful for years to come."

Sincerely,

Walter Willett
Superintendent
Tolland Public Schools