East Windsor High School Roof May Have Only 3 Years Left

EAST WINDSOR, CT — East Windsor High School’s roof may have only about three years of useful life remaining, adding new urgency to the town’s long-running discussion over whether to repair its aging schools or replace them.

The estimate comes from a recent infrared evaluation of the roof, according to a school construction update included in the Board of Education’s Sept. 23 meeting packet.

District officials say replacing the roof would address only one part of a much larger problem at the high school, which is more than 70 years old. The building also has problems involving its walls, windows, floors and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.

An analysis conducted for the town determined that constructing a new school would be more cost-effective than renovating the existing high school to meet the state’s “renovate-to-new” standard, according to the district.

No updated price tag has been released for either option.

Construction Solutions Group has been asked to revise its cost estimates following a roughly one-year delay, calculate potential savings from reducing the district’s building space and determine whether the proposed project could be made smaller.

The current recommendation calls for a new combined middle and high school campus at the existing high school property. The two schools would remain separate, with one side serving grades 5-8 and the other serving grades 9-12.

An auditorium and other common areas could be shared. Officials say the plan would reduce the total amount of building space and grounds maintained by the town while lowering utility and operating costs.

The proposal is part of a broader facilities plan that also considered renovating Broad Brook Elementary School. The Board of Education reached a consensus in April that new construction was preferable for the middle and high schools and that the combined campus should be prioritized if the town could move forward with only one project.

Current enrollment also complicates the renovation option. The existing high school is considered oversized under state construction standards, meaning a renovation may not qualify for East Windsor’s full reimbursement rate of 63.46 percent, according to the district.

The Board of Selectmen’s Ad Hoc Committee on School Renovation Planning will resume meeting at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 7 at Broad Brook Elementary School. State Sen. Saud Anwar and state Reps. Jaime Foster and Carol Hall have been invited to join the meeting.

The committee plans to ask the lawmakers for guidance on obtaining additional state reimbursement similar to funding awarded to neighboring communities.

Town and school officials have been studying the district’s buildings for several years. As previously reported by Patch, officials held a public question-and-answer session in December as the planning process continued.

The town’s school project website says consultants initially examined HVAC improvements but determined the district would not qualify for state grants because of more extensive problems with the buildings’ roofs, walls, windows, floors and ceilings.

No referendum date or final construction schedule has been announced.

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