GPS Capital Projects Update

Introducing our quarterly GPS Capital Project Updates newsletter! The purpose of this newsletter is to provide accurate, timely and transparent updates of the ongoing major capital projects and maintenance projects underway across the District. You can always refer back to our GPS website for more information about each of these projects and for an archive of these newsletters.

The full Facilities Master Plan and Appendix are also available on our website.

Thank you!

Dr. Toni Jones

Superintendent, Greenwich Public Schools

Sean O'Keefe

Chief Operating Officer, Greenwich Public Schools

Greenwich High School is currently underway with Phase 1A of their construction project for Cardinal Stadium.

Phase 1A includes:

• Site and Bleacher Demo (home side)
• Construction of new home side bleachers that are ADA accessible with a press box, elevator, new bathrooms and a team room that will go below the bleachers.
  

Additionally, Phase 1B was recently unanimously approved by Town of Greenwich Planning and Zoning to move forward, and funds were just released by the BET.

Phase 1B includes:

• An entry kiosk
• Additional site work, including handicap parking
• New lights on existing poles
  
  

For your awareness, Phase 2 includes:

• Visitor side bleachers
• New building for the visitor side
• Site work, including a driveway and bridge
• Relocating the tennis courts

There will be a groundbreaking for Cardinal Stadium on Wednesday, March 10th at 2:00PM. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, attendance is for invited guests only.

Brief remarks will be shared by leaders in our school and town community, followed by the groundbreaking.

Prioritized by the Board of Education on June 14, 2018, the FY21‐22 capital request reflects the costs to complete the contract documents associated with the project as well as the estimated costs to complete the work as designed. The concept reflects a new main entrance including a security vestibule, site improvements related to the new entrance and infrastructure work to update the building elements and systems.

Phase I cleanup activities for the Greenwich High School property (the Site) were performed over the 2020 summer recess. This work focused on the northernmost athletic fields and several small areas on the property to allow for renovation of Athletic Fields 6 and 7 (pictured below). This work expanded on cleanup done in prior years.

The Remedial Action Plan (RAP) for Phase II of the cleanup program at the Site has been submitted to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Phase II cleanup activities are expected to commence in Summer 2021, contingent upon regulatory approval.

Meetings have been held with EPA and DEEP to gather their input, and a virtual public meeting to present the Phase II Remedial Action Plan (RAP) took place on January 27, 2021.

More information can be found on the GPS website.

The proposed Hamilton Avenue School Field Improvement Project scope includes repairs that were not completed at the end of the Hamilton Avenue School Building Project, specifically, leveling the playing field to decrease the current slope from second base to the outfield and adding proper drainage. The grass was planted in the early Fall and continues to grow. It will be ready for playing by this Spring.

With the Julian Curtiss School Feasibility Study complete and the Educational Specifications approved by the Board of Education, the project will move forward with the creation of a Building Committee that will select an Architect to complete construction documents that will be driven by the Educational Specifications as well as the input of the Committee.

The Old Greenwich School Feasibility Study has been completed. Educational Specifications have not been finalized by the Board of Education and will be revisited on March 25, 2021 when it will be on the Board of Education's agenda.

In late Spring of 2020, GPS entered Western Middle School into a Voluntary Soil Remediation Program. The process to begin the remediation of the athletic fields at WMS continues to be an arduous task. GPS and Town of Greenwich's DPW are working closely with Langan Engineering, the districts environmental consultant, as well as the legal team from McCarter & English to obtain the proper approvals and recommendations from the State and Federal agencies having jurisdiction of the site. To date Langan has provided the agencies with reports depicting the hundreds of sampling locations on the site. They have also developed and submitted a handful of options in hope of obtaining positive direction on one of the options.

The most recent submission to DEEP and EPA was on February 16, 2021, and we are now awaiting on comments from this submission.

We are entering into the next phase of the EMS Window Replacement project as soon as school dismisses for the summer. All materials have been pre-purchased and ordered to allow us to begin as school lets out. This project has already been roughly 65% completed. Following this summer, we have one final phase of construction that will take place in Summer 2022.

On Saturday, February 13th, a plaster ceiling fell on a sprinkler pipe causing a significant flood as well as the collapse of the hung ceiling.

After a thorough investigation by an engineering consultant, the Town's Building Inspector, and our Facilities Team, the original building is closed to undergo extensive ceiling renovation. This is the front area of the building which flooded both the first floor and second floor. We may continue to use the portions of the building that have been constructed more recently and are not impacted by the ceiling issue.

We are grateful that the more recent sections of the buildings that house Kindergarten and Grades 2 and 3 are able to safely remain in use. The other sections of students in Grades 1, 4, 5 and the Advanced Learning Program, will be attending Cos Cob School, Old Greenwich School and Parkway School.

While this Public Information Session is not for a GPS or Town project, it will have impacts to neighborhood and school traffic for a long period of time, as the bridge is located on Post Road close to the intersection of Hillside Road. The Department of Transportation will conduct a Virtual Public Update Meeting concerning the proposed replacement of Bridge No. 01872 on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at 6:30pm. A question and answer session will immediately follow the presentation.

The purpose of the project is to replace the existing structurally deficient bride. The existing structure needs to be replaced as the concrete slab and encased beam superstructure exhibits large hollow aras, exposed and rusted rebar, concrete deterioration and active leakage. The existing bridge does not pass major storm events, resulting in the overtopping of US Route 1.

Bringing our facilities up to date with the Americans with Disabilities Act has been a key priority for many years for our District. As such, we have a launched a page on our website to keep our community informed of our current ADA-related projects and building/site compliance.

Visit the webpage to see an initial example of the ADA rubric (view the GHS section). More information for each school site will be available as our school sites are reviewed internally. Please note that these reports are for our internal use only and do not represent a formal ADA review of our buildings.

In addition, please note the following projects that are underway this current year:

• Cos Cob School: Playground replacement was approved last budget cycle at $394,000. This project includes changing the surface from wood chips to accessible rubberized surface.
• International School at Dundee: ADA compliance was approved at $74,000. This project was limited to ADA access to a new ADA compliant Playground. Currently a student or staff member with mobility issues needs to exit the building on the opposite side from the playground. Once outside, they would need to go down a steep incline, traverse the grassed athletic field and then enter the play area. The funding request is for A/E to review the access and to design an approach from the rear accessible doorway to the playscape. This will include an accessible ramped walkway down to the entrance to the playscape. The equipment for the playscape is covered under a previous request..
• North Mianus School: ADA compliance was approved at $111,000.
• Riverside School: ADA compliance was approved at $37,000.

During the budget process last year, there was $446,000 approved by the BET and RTM for ADA compliance at WMS for this 2020-2021 year. As a result, a Feasibility Study was completed earlier this Fall via a RFP process with a member of the First Selectman’s Disability Committee assisting in selection of the architect/engineering firm, Silver Petrucelli & Associates. The school district is currently working on ADA at WMS.

Also approved in last year's budget cycle for WMS, was $178,000 for vertical transportation. The work that is currently being designed and planned for the summer of 2021, includes replacing an existing lift, and the addition of a stair lift to make the lower level accessible. (Please refer back to the budget book from last Spring, FY21, Pages 93, 94 for more information.)

Beginning in 2019, the District created a monthly report, which goes to the Board of Education, with the status of open and closed projects. Some projects, such as the EMS Window Replacement Project, run for multiple years because the work is limited to the summer months. However, you would not want three different contractors completing this work; therefore, it is submitted as a single project for funding.

A snapshot of the open and closed project status is provided below and a more detailed report is available as part of the monthly Board of Education Business Meetings.

The latest update for status on State reimbursement for our capital projects includes:

• MISA: The paperwork was submitted (Form ED049F) to the State in June 2020; since then $2,656,516 was received in August 2020; and the remainder (potential of approx $2.2M) expected upon completion of audit.

• Hamilton Ave: Paperwork was submitted (Form ED049F) to the State in June 2020 (potential final payment of $1,864,024 subject to completion of audit)

• Glenville School: GPS submitted supporting documents to CSG (Jan 2021) for submission of ED049F to the State.

• New Lebanon School: The Building Committee is still finalizing a number of items/invoices prior to submission of Form ED049F which will then trigger final payments (approximately $5.7M) including retainage. To date, $17,702,359 has been reimbursed.