Milford Mirror

Aldermen approve $12 million for East Shore Middle School

Last Updated on Tuesday, 07 February 2012 15:04 Written by Jill K. Dion
Tuesday, 07 February 2012 12:24

School Board Chairman Tracy Casey (D) told the Board of Aldermen Monday night that she wished she had a checkbook to buy all the things Milford schools need. But she doesn’t.

After that short speech, and after the aldermen had deliberated long and hard on whether to add funds to an East Shore Middle School construction project, the aldermen voted to stick to the $12 million the mayor put forth for the project.

Parents and students pleaded with the aldermen for more than an hour at Monday night’s Board of Aldermen’s meeting, urging them to approve $16 million in bonds for East Shore Middle School renovations rather than the $12 million that was on their agenda that night.

Eleven teachers work from carts, meaning they don’t have their own classroom space but push their material to available space using a cart. The band meets behind the gym and has to compete with the sound of students playing basketball in gym class.

Kyle Lang, an East Shore student, was one of many students who spoke eloquently and passionately about the needs at the school.

“Now the conditions of the school are not good,” he said. “The band room is behind the stage. There are problems with the roofing. Some kids get hit by doors.”

Jennifer Giampaolo, an East Shore teacher, asked aldermen to approve the initial $16 million proposed for the project so that an eight-classroom addition, rather than a four-classroom addition, would be added to the school, and so that classrooms would be fitted with new technology, like whiteboards, and all the old windows would be replaced.

“Without the $16 million, teachers will still be teaching off carts,” Giampaolo said.

“Would you design a new kitchen and put 1960s furniture back into it?” she asked.

But after many hours of testimony and questioning, Casey stepped to the podium to offer the school board’s perspective on the project. She said the board would not put forth a plan that was not adequate or that did not meet safety considerations.

“We prioritized,” Casey said. “We have eight schools with new roofs needed. That’s $8 million. I’m asking you to consider that, as much as I’d love to be able to approve everything on this list.”

While some city aldermen were adamant that they wanted to add money to the project — Republican Paula Smith proposed upping the bonding allocation from $12 million to $14.1 million — after several hours, they voted in favor of the $12 million.

The $12 million will increase the square footage from 60,000 to 78,000, bringing it in line with Harborside and West Shore middle schools. It will add four new classrooms, replace the media center with a new centralized media center, and add space for music and art classes. The net gain will be seven new classrooms after reconfiguring existing space, school officials said. The interior will be redesigned so the hallways flow in a figure-eight loop, eliminating congestion in hallways that dead-end.

Mayor Ben Blake (D) defended the reduced spending amount, pointing out that he was in the first East Shore Middle School graduating class and the project is near and dear to his heart.

“There was talk at one time about modular classrooms; then they decided that was not the right plan, and went forward and upped the project to $6 million,” Blake said. “The capital improvement plan has it at $8.8 million, and when I became mayor, $16 million was proposed. So the costs have fluctuated greatly.”

Blake said he challenged the architect and school officials to pare down the project and address the needs more efficiently.

“When I met with the school board and principal, I made sure all of my concerns about safety and programming needs were met,” Blake said.

The $12-million plan includes a new roof, an enclosed breezeway, an expanded cafeteria and kitchen, and parking improvements.

Some aldermen cited difficult economic times in voting for the $12 million, and others said the city should spend more and do the job right.

Alderman Ray Vitali (R) said it is difficult for teachers to work off carts and not have a permanent classroom.

“I am disappointed in my colleagues,” Vitali said after the aldermen voted down the additional $2 million proposed by Smith. “The money is there. We just don’t have the foresight to make it move.”

“Being on a cart is like being a second-rate citizen of the school,” Vitali said. “The fact is these teachers need a home.”

About 11 teachers work off carts at East Shore now, and with the $12-million addition, there will still be four working off carts, said Principal Catherine Williams.

Alderman Rob Nunno (D), a teacher at West Shore Middle School, pointed out that conditions are not perfect at West Shore, where band classes are held in an old locker room. He said there are shortfalls in terms of classrooms at Harborside, too.

Alderman Frank Smith (D) pointed to economics in discussing his decision to back the $12-million project.

“This comes at a time when the country is at its worst economic condition in years,” Smith said. “These bondings are not free, and there are some important economic considerations.”

Officials also said they hope costs come in under the projected amount, thus allowing some of the deleted items to be added back into the school project. Bill Silver of Silver/Petrucelli & Associates in Hamden said Foran High School’s addition was finished at 22% under projected costs, and Board of Aldermen Chairman Philip Vetro (D) said bids for the new firehouse came in 25% under projections.

Silver said work can start in April at East Shore, with much work done in the summer and then completed by September 2013. New construction will be addressed first, and students will be rerouted into the new sections while work is done on the older portions of the school.

Vitali suggested busing students to the old Simon Lake School during construction so work could get done faster and more cheaply, and so students would be safer. But Jim Richetelli Jr., chief operations officer for the school district, said that was considered and was not feasible. “Logistically it would not be feasible,” Richetelli said. “It would be a long bus ride and a tremendous amount of cost.”

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