By Sarah Opdahl

On Tuesday, January 28, New Fairfield’s Permanent Building Committee (PBC) discussed the recent joint board meeting regarding the bus lot location. PBC Chair Mr. Don Kellogg asked fellow members to review the recording; which will be discussed, along with the study,  in-depth  at their next meeting. It was noted that the public has sixty days to provide input on the potential locations. There was a brief conversation about the possible lot on the high/middle school campus. In the presentation, there are the same number of spaces that exist now but in a much larger area, due to the addition of many islands, which it was explained would be required by code. A bus lane was created near the soccer field, “which pushed all parking back,” Kellogg said. The design tasks necessitated creating a plan for forty bus driver spots and, in the process, there were seven spots gained in the lot.

The currently heavily used mountable curb parking at the high school, which was a temporary measure, was a topic of discussion. Kellogg explained, “if it is decided that we want to keep that, we have to go back in front of the Zoning Commission to get that approved, that was included as a temporary item.” He went on to say that discussions are needed with school officials, but “personally, I do not like the aesthetics of that, I think it looks unfinished.” Furthermore, the school may want additional overflow spots, which tend to be needed during big events, with Kellogg saying, “if it is advantageous functionally for the school, I would consider their potential inclusion as a permanent feature, if the Zoning Commission concurs.”

On the same topic, Colliers International’s Mr. Scott Pellman stressed that the issue is further complicated by the fact that they are trying to close out the high school project “as quickly as possible.” Since the temporary bus lot and mountable curb spaces are currently in use at the site, they may need the Zoning Commission’s approval to move forward with closing the project. He said, “it does not appear that in short order, the bus lot is going to be relocated off that site, but we do need to close out the projects.” Closing the project triggers a series of processes with the state, at the end of which, the Town will receive the remainder of the reimbursement. Sadly, this process can take years, however Pellman stated that there is a new appetite at the state-level to more promptly complete the cycle.

There was an update on the former Consolidated School demolition, which is in limbo  until spring. Pellman said, “The contractors were able to get the site roughgraded and stabilized, so it is really shut down for the winter.” In the spring, they will “finish their final grading, bring in topsoil, seed, and get the lawn established.”

The failed surface of the elementary playground was another topic of conversation, with Pellman saying that they are coordinating with the Town’s attorney. The entire surface needs replacement  in the future. Pellman said that they will seek a cost estimate for a new surface and Kellogg clarified that the funding “may have to be fronted by the school projects…depending on the input of the attorney.”

The newly approved crosswalk at the high school’s exit is moving forward, with Pellman noting that there was one small change requested from Town Engineer Mr. Tony Iadarola and “we are looking to get that resolved ASAP and get that into O&G’s hands, so they can get it priced and we can get that work scheduled for the early spring.”

Testing is ongoing to determine the cause of the propane saga that lasted over a year at the high school. A third party consultant has taken videos inside the pipes and six pipe samples were recently sent out for testing. Pellman said, “we are anticipating the results within a week, and then we are going to be pushing Amtech very quickly for their final summary and final report.” Ms. Christine O’Hare, of JCJ Architecture, said the only other project that’s ongoing at the high school is a cable management project with the IT department.

The next New Fairfield Permanent Building Committee is scheduled Tuesday, February 11, 7:30 p.m.