On Tuesday, March 25, South Windsor residents will vote on whether to appropriate and authorize bonds in the amount of $33,521,724 for the planning, design, acquisition, construction, equipping and furnishing of a new Orchard Hill Elementary School.
An estimated $11,263,567 is expected to be reimbursed by the state of Connecticut.
How will you vote at the referendum? Share your thoughts in the comments or on our Opinion Board.
The Details
The following text explaining the proposed construction is from the town of South Windsor website:
On March 25, 2014, the Town of South Windsor will conduct a referendum concerning the question set forth below.
Pursuant to the Town Council’s authorization of February 18, 2014, this explanatory text describes the proposed appropriation and bond authorization for the construction of a new elementary school.
1. Shall the resolution appropriating and authorizing bonds in the amount of $33,521,724, of which it is expected that an estimated $11,263,567 shall be reimbursed by the State of Connecticut, for the planning, design, acquisition, construction, equipping and furnishing of a new Orchard Hill Elementary School be approved?
The proposed project consists of a new, approximately 71,000 square-foot school building on the existing Orchard Hill Elementary School campus. The proposed school will feature expanded classroom technology, designs intended to increase school safety and security, and more-efficient heating and cooling systems.
The proposed school will be compliant with building and fire codes, as well as accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
When completed, the new school will house an estimated 564 students. The student body will include the existing Orchard Hill Elementary School population, a portion of the Wapping Elementary School population, and the South Windsor pre-Kindergarten program, which is also known as the Preschool Outreach Program and is currently located at Eli Terry Elementary School.
The state reimbursement rate for new school construction in South Windsor is currently 34.64 percent. The Board of Education estimates that approximately $11,263,567 would be reimbursed by the State of Connecticut.
Therefore, the net cost to South Windsor for the cost of the new school is estimated to be approximately $22,258,157.
Upon completion of the new school, Wapping Elementary School will be closed. The Wapping building will be transferred to the Town of South Windsor.
Studies commissioned by the Board of Education in 2007 and 2013 concluded that all of South Windsor’s elementary schools require upgrades to their mechanical systems and for purposes of building, fire code, and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.
The Board of Education intends to use the existing Orchard Hill Elementary School to educate students while the Town’s other elementary schools are undergoing future renovation or construction, should such upgrades be approved at future referenda.
Upon completion of such upgrades, Orchard Hill Elementary School would be returned to the Town of South Windsor.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
