By Sarah Opdahl

New Fairfield’s Permanent Building Committee (PBC) continued to discuss how best to manage the impending parking shortage at the Town’s high/middle school. Attempting to solve for the academic year—and possibly beyond—with overflow parking, the committee balked at a $92,000 price tag for a temporary “square” lot. In searching for alternatives, they entertained a plan to possibly re-stripe the dog park/playground parking lot to accommodate at least eight additional spaces to bring it from seventy-two to eighty spots. They would also add seventeen temporary spots along Gillotti with gravel and a mountable curb, plus add mountable curbs, rather than standard curbs, in a few areas of the main parking lot, which would provide additional parking in the future. The committee was surprised at the estimate for the alternate plan, which came in at $42,000—much higher than they expected.

There is a split opinion among members on how best to proceed. For now, they have agreed to get a better handle on the financials, as, based on their conversation, costs may escalate for both options.  They also asked for pricing on variations. O&G’s Mr. Joe Vetro was accommodating but asked for clarification as soon as possible on direction, as he already commenced moving materials to another site on the campus after he believed that the square was off the table. PBC members will likely call for a special meeting to continue discussing the topic.

The elementary campus bus loop continues to be a talking point, as more curb cuts are likely. They are considering “chopping out” a little of the sidewalk/island area to allow easier navigation through the lot. There may be an addition of cross hatches to indicate that drivers should not block the intersection, the lack of which caused quite a bit of difficulty this past year. To fix the tight space they will likely need to remove sidewalk panels, pour new curbs, and extend the depth of the curve. There is also consideration for a possible ramp from the crosswalk. It was noted that Colliers International’s (“Colliers) representatives “did warn the school that it probably wouldn’t be in effect for the beginning of the school year.”

In an update on the elementary playground and its failing components, Colliers’ Mr. Mark Schweitzer said there are tiered warranties, from two-years on some parts to lifetime on others. Work to address the issues is planned for this summer and beyond.

At the new high school, most deep cleaning is complete. Furniture installation is occurring throughout the building and a handful of finishing treatments are being finalized in the building, such as adding the Rebels logo on the fitness center wall.

The PBC also discussed middle school fire alarms, as several were accidentally left out of the demolition plan for the existing high school. It was acknowledged that these were errors by JCJ Architects.

The next regular Permanent Building Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, August 8, 7:30 p.m.