Still Under Debate: New Lebanon School Building Project

Photos: Architect Tai Soo Kim explains the design of a new New Lebanon School to the Greenwich Board of Selectmen Dec. 8, 2015. Credit: Barbara Heins.

GREENWICHT, CT - The Greenwich Board of Selectmen held a fact-finding mission of sorts Tuesday afternoon in an attempt to calm their concerns over the plan to build a new New Lebanon School in the Byram section of town.

The plan put forth by the Board of Education as recommended by the New Lebanon School Building Committee is counter to what had been previously recommmended and approved by the selectmen — prompting the Tuesday afternoon meeting at Greenwich Town Hall.

The building committee accepted a recommended plan from architects Tai Soo Kim to build a new 59,000 square foot school on the Mead Avenue campus in an area to the rear of the existing school, utilizing a wooded ravine for a portion of the building.

The selectmen have been opposed to using the ravine because of its proximity to I-95 and that the plan would mean students would remain at the school during a two-year construction period.

School Superintendent William McKersie said the school board and staff are ready to ameliorate concerns about student safety and security during what is an anticipated two-year project. He said the school is could either relocate students to modular classrooms that would be located at Western MIddle School at an additional cost of about $2 million or disperse students to the North Street, Parkway and Western Middle schools.

McKersie warned the selectmen that dispersal of students would jeopardize New Lebanon’s International Bacalleaureate program that is up for renewal next year.

School board Chair Laura Erickson told the selectmen the school board is willing to meet and reconsider the location of the school on the campus so that the selectmen can vote on whether to continue a municipal improvement status on the project. That designation would fast-track the project with the planning and zoning approval process.

First Selectman Peter Tesei voiced concern on whether geological and environmental testing on the proposed site has been completed.

“We want to know that when we hit the shovel to the ground” the town won’t find itself in a similar situation it did when it broke ground for the Greenwich High School auditorium project where soil contaminants prompted a multi-million dollar cleanup project.

Tai Soo Kim associates said that tests haven’t unearthed concerns other than possible contaminated soil where two old underground oil tanks are located at the school and that both of the proposed projects wouldn’t involve disruption of soil.

The school is adjacent to athletic fields on William Street that have been off limits to use since last spring because of arsenic found in the soil.

Architects also said that the area was not filled in the way the high school property was.

Selectman John Toner also voiced his “concern” that Gov. Dannel Malloy is seeking to widen I-95 by one lane in each direction within the next 20 years, “bringing students closer to the highway” even though architects have moved the building site away from the highway.

Selectman Drew Marzullo said that he is leaning towards option number 2 which would relocate students to modular classrooms during construction.

The board is expected to hold another special meeting to decide whether to grant municipal improvement status to the project before its regularly scheduled meeting on Dec. 18.