Schools
New London High School Construction Final Phase
The city is depending on state grants to pay for the high school's new sports complex but it should be up and running by September 2012.
Construction at New London High School is about to enter its third and final phase, landscape architect Luke McCoy of Friar Associates told New London City Council at last night’s meeting, and if all goes according to plan, the school will have a new sports complex that is up to code by next September.
The is necessary because the existing facilities are not handicapped accessible, which means the school is in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and risks losing federal funding as a result.
To bring the school up to code, the bleachers, the concession stand, the press box, and the bathrooms all have to be replaced or renovated. The final phase also calls for a paved parking area with additional parking for the handicapped and a new sidewalk.
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The good news is that, because the project is being done to bring New London High School into compliance with the ADA, the cost of this phase of construction is being funded by state grants.
The onus was on the New London Board of Education to apply for the grant this month but as long as the design passes muster with the State Department of Education, New London shouldn’t have to foot the bill for the final phase, McCoy said.
Find out what's happening in New Londonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The project will go out to bid in April and demolition will begin as soon as the contract has been awarded in May. Most of the construction will take place between June and August, which should put it on track to be completed in time for start of the fall sports season in September 2012, McCoy said.
“That doesn’t seem like very much time,” noted New London Councilman Adam Sprecace, who seemed a little skeptical that all the work could be done in just three months.
The tight schedule was possible, McCoy explained, because the most time-consuming construction work had been completed during the previous phases. All the conduits and utilities, for instance, are already in place and just need to be connected at this point. A lot of the track and field facilities were also installed during phase 2.
“Right now, we’re right on schedule,” said McCoy.
