Bristol Votes To Approve Several New Projects

By Brian M. Johnson , The Bristol Press

June 17, 2022

Bristol voted to approve the creation of six new parking lots in the West End, the construction of a new firehouse on Church Avenue and the building of a new Northeast Middle School.

The city acquired lots on School Street, across from Café Real, which Mayor Jeff Caggiano said were delinquent in taxes. These parking spaces will be used to support businesses in the West End during the Route 72 construction.

“The construction will start in the fall around Park Street and shouldn’t impact the area until next year,” he said. “The street will be closed during most of that project and it will be a one-lane road. But, by then, the new parking lots should be in place.”

The firehouse, Caggiano said, will replace the existing fire house no. 3.

“This is something that we have been working on for eight years and now we can finally get it done,” he said. “The project is now in the design phase. The fire house that is currently there is outdated. There aren’t separate male and female living spaces. The new firehouse will be more compatible with modern equipment. The door is currently not high enough if we wanted to put a new ladder truck in there. Hopefully, this project will move forward quickly.”

The town council also unanimously approved the construction of an entirely new Northwest Middle School. Previously, Caggiano said, there had been some discussion of renovating the building and re-using some elements.

“I’m not the happiest with the way it went down, but the current building is old and we need more room for students,” he said. “The project cost will now increase by $14 million to $89,068,962 from the previous $75 million.”

Caggiano said that this project is also currently in the planning and design phase. The town will also be seeking approval for a grant from the State Department of Administrative Services, which could assist with costs.

“It could cover 60% or so of the project,” said Caggiano.