Farmington HS' Peeling Gym Floor Being Fixed By Contractor: Officials

FARMINGTON, CT — The town's new $145 million high school has experienced a small setback, with crews currently working to repair a prematurely peeling gym floor.

Nelson Reis ofO&G Industries, the contractor charged with building the new FHS, told the Farmington High School Building Committee on Nov. 20 that the entire school project is 99 percent done.

But, he said, the new state-of-the-art high school's gym floor is being re-finished, with work expected to be completely done by Monday, Dec. 2.

Reis said the gym will be ready for the opening of the FHS basketball season, which is mid-December.

The situation was also discussed at the last Farmington Town Council meeting on Nov. 12.

Local resident Tim Kelly, speaking during the audience of citizens portion of the meeting, expressed concern about the situation, asking for a timeline and plan to remedy the gym floor problem.

Farmington Assistant Town Manager Kat Krajewski addressed Kelly's concerns during the building committee's report to the council.

She said the project to fix the floor was a three-week job, adding the work will take place "between sports seasons," meaning it would be done in plenty of time for basketball season.

According to Krajewski, the gym floor repairs are a "contractor issue" and the town will not incur any additional expenses for the added work.

This isn't the first hiccup in the long journey of the new FHS.

In June 2021, voters said "yes" to spending $135.6 million for a new Farmington High School building.

But the dollar amount proved to be too low, a byproduct of pandemic-related inflation and supply chain issues.

So, on Dec. 8, 2022, voters easily approved a $9.7 million supplemental appropriation for the new Farmington High School project, the second time in as many years the town went to the polls.

With the high school done, the next major project is to transform the old, 1922 section of the old Farmington High School into a larger, brand-new Farmington Town Hall.

For the minutes of the Nov. 20 Farmington High School Building Committee meeting, click on this link.

For the minutes of the Nov. 12 Farmington Town Council meeting, click on this link.

From Aug. 27: 'Historic Day For Farmington School System'