The Cromwell (Connecticut) district is ready to open its new, $72.6 million middle school.
The Greenwich Time reports that the new facility has capacity for 491 students and provides ADA-compliant educational areas with more space and greater access to daylight and technology.
Core secondary instructional spaces, such as art, music, life and social skills; and academic goals for literacy, social studies, mathematics, science, wellness, music, art and outdoor learning, have been incorporated in the design.
The district began to pursue plans to replace the old Cromwell Middle School after a 2016 conditions assessment identified deficiencies on the campus, including:
- Non-ADA-compliant bathrooms and drinking fountains as well as wheelchair accessibility problems
- Hazardous materials (asbestos) present in the building
- Inadquate number of science rooms
- Undersized classrooms
- Plumbing and electrical equipment beyond life expectancy
- Outdated telecommunication infrastructure
- Built as a high school, the facility does not meet educational needs and specifications for the middle school grades or modern educational methodologies
In June 2022, voters approved the construction of a replacement school based on estimates of $58.6 million. Because of cost increases, the project required an additional $14 million.
The architect is Perkins Eastman, and the construction manager is Newfield Construction.
