City Council Hires CREC For New London High School Repairs

The City Council unanimously agreed Monday to hire the Capitol Region Education Council and appropriate $75,000 for classroom repairs at New London High School.

Councilors accepted an item acceding to a recommendation by Finance Director Jeff Smith to hire CREC to outline the work that needs to be done in the classrooms of NLHS. CREC, in turn, will collaborate with local contractors on repair and maintenance projects at the school.

Plans for improving the high school, which was built in 1970, have been under consideration in recent years. Ideas include addressing violations of building codes and the Americans with Disabilities Act at an estimated cost of $29 million, renovating as new—or bringing the building up to modern building codes—at an estimated cost of $83 million, or building a new school at an estimated cost of $83.9 million.

At a Public Works Committee meeting prior to the full Council meeting, Council President Michael Passero said city officials toured the school last year to examine maintenance issues and other problems. He said he anticipates that work at the high school will account for a significant portion of the city’s debt service in the future, and that the $75,000 allocation will begin to address some maintenance issues at the site.

“In many instances it’s a bit disgraceful, and I think there’s a consensus that something needs to be done this summer to have something in place for the children before the start of the next school year,” he said.

Diana McNeil, project manager at CREC, said the organization intends to identify issues on a classroom by classroom basis and negotiate work with local contractors.

“We anticipate that this money is going to be used mostly in the areas that can be described as deferred maintenance,” she said.

McNeil said that work includes painting as well as repairs to the walls, lighting, and lockers. She said the organization will have to determine whether it is possible to make these repairs throughout the building or only in a portion of it.

Smith said the work at the school does not qualify for bond or LoCIP funding, so the funds would have to be found within the city budget. However, he said that after consulting with Public Works Director Tim Hanser he determined that $225,000 allocated in 2008 for repairs at the Martin Center was never spent. He recommended transferring $75,000 from these funds toward the high school work.

Smith also recommended waiving the normal bid process and hiring CREC to work with local contractors, saying this would allow the work to be completed prior to the 2013-2014 school year.

Councilor John Maynard said he supported making the repairs at NLHS, but questioned why the repairs budgeted for at the Martin Center were never completed. Smith said other capital projects have also been budgeted but left open.

“We’ve had so much turnover in both the Finance Department and the Public Works Department,” he said. “Obviously there was a project set up and no one got to it.”

CREC is also working with the Board of Education to develop a request for proposals for an architect for the project. The architect would be hired once the Board has developed the vision and theme for programs at the high school as part of a strategy to transition the district to all magnet schools. 

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