The West Hartford Board of Education approved a $17.2 million Capital Improvement Program this week.

Photo credit: Ronni Newton

By Ronni Newton

The West Hartford Board of Education unanimously approved $17.2 million in capital expenditures for the 2016-17 fiscal year at its meeting Tuesday night, with a large portion of that amount to be spent on building new science labs and renovating existing lab space at Hall High School.

The $12.8 million science lab project will be eligible for 40 percent reimbursement from the state, West Hartford Public Schools Director of Finance and Planning Chip Ward said. The entire cost is included in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), but the town is expected to be responsible for $7.7 million with the state contributing $5.1 million, he said.

Existing labs at Hall date back to 1970 when the school was built, and do not meet current needs. The lab space was cited as “outdated unable to meet the learning needs of students and curriculum” in the most recent NEASC accreditation review, Ward said.

The project will include the creation of eight new “wet” classroom/lab spaces (CLABS) that will be used for biology and chemistry classes, and renovation of the existing wet spaces into “dry” labs that can accommodate the needs of physics and earth science classes.

Other than the science lab project, the remainder of the CIP ($4.04 million) will be earmarked for recurring projects, including approximately $2 million for interior and exterior improvements to school buildings and $800,000 for heating and ventilation systems.

A total of $350,000 for new school security upgrades is also included in the 2016-17 CIP.

The addition of air conditioning to the nine school buildings that do not currently have is not a component of this year’s CIP. The Board of Education had asked for an estimate of the cost of adding air conditioning to the rest of the town’s schools, especially after last September’s unusual heat wave, but the costs have been determined to be prohibitive.

According to the CIP narrative, it would cost $30 per square foot to add air conditioning without addressing the overall building ventilation systems. “Adding air conditioning while also addressing the fresh air ventilation needs of the school would likely cost double that amount – $60 per square foot.” That cost does not include an update of exterior windows. None of the costs associated with adding air conditioning, estimated at $20 to $40 million, would be eligible for state reimbursement.

Ward said that the difference between the CIP and the operating budget is that CIP funds can be rolled into subsequent years. Because the funds are not appropriated until April, and much of the work has to be done in the summer, projects often need to be pushed ahead, he said.

“It’s a very fluid process. Many things have to align for projects to start right when school ends,” Director of Plant and Facilities Bob Palmer said. Additionally, Superintendent Tom Moore said, the projects have a “hard end date” when school begins again in the fall.

Some of the major projects included in the 2015-16 CIP that were pushed ahead to this year include the replacement of bleachers and refurbishing of locker rooms at Conard High School and new seating at Webster Hill Elementary School. Both of those projects are expected to be completed in the summer of 2016.

This year’s CIP is an increase over last year’s of $4.2 million, but much smaller than the 2014-15 CIP of $42 million which included the construction costs for the new Charter Oak International Academy building, Ward said.

The CIP for 2017-18 budgets $4.45 million of recurring costs. No renovation or expansion projects are anticipated at this time.

The Board of Education’s two-year CIP will become part of the Town of West Hartford’s overall CIP, and approved by the Town Council at its April 26, 2016, meeting. Town Manager Ron Van Winkle said that the town’s CIP, which has not yet been released, is expected to include primarily maintenance projects.

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