Schools

School Condition Speaks for Itself, Naugatuck Residents Say

Residents see the high school for themselves and discuss a plan to fix it.

Lifelong borough resident Frank Johnson, Jr., told officials there were numerous reasons he could cite about why Naugatuck should invest in a new high school. But Johnson opted to let the school do the talking for him.

As one of 35 people who took a tour of the Wednesday, Johnson saw, among other causes of concern, numerous cracks in the walls and ceiling; window frames that were not tightly secured to the walls around them; fissures and bumps in the floors; exposed and shoddy electrical wiring; leaky ceilings; warped floors - even in the gym; leaky faucets in outdated science labs; a school of 1,400 students that doesn’t have a fire sprinkler system; an aging elevator that works when it’s in the mood and was shut down three times this month; and outdated classrooms – most of which are not handicapped accessible – that no longer serve the needs of students in a technologically savvy world which expects teens to learn on Smart Boards rather than chalk boards.

The tour was an eye-opener for residents who will be asked to support an $81 million of the high school and its athletic fields at a referendum on Nov. 8. The town is seeking state grant funding earmarked for school construction projects, and the local share could end up being about , which will be bonded and paid back with interest over a period of about 20 years.

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On Wednesday, another 25 people joined the 35 who took the tour and watched a PowerPoint presentation of the project in the high school’s Davis Auditorium, which would also undergo a facelift if the project is approved. Naugatuck Controller Wayne McAllister broke down the funding scenario, while architects from New Britain-based Kaestle Boos Associates reiterated areas of concern in the high school and how they can be fixed.

Only four residents spoke about the plan; none of them expressed disapproval.

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“I read in the newspaper about the issues with the high school, and I said, ‘My goodness. If only half of these problems exist, this high school should have been fixed a long time ago,’” said resident Sally Brouillet, a senior who said she’s worried about taxes but will support the project. “I don’t think we should fix this high school piecemeal anymore. We do need this project; I think it will be nothing but a benefit to Naugatuck.”

She suggested, however, the town look for other areas in which it could save money to make the project more palatable for residents. She urged officials to reconsider closing a school, saying it worked in her former community of Fairfield.

Officials did not discuss closing a school Wednesday, but they had school administrators discuss why the high school could use the proposed renovations.

Schools Superintendent John Tindall-Gibson said the renovation plan represents a very positive opportunity for the community. He said it fulfills the needs of taxpayers in a struggling economic climate because the state reimbursement is excellent. And it fulfills the needs of students in an ever-changing world, he said.

“The Internet is changing our lives, and it’s certainly changing the lives of young people and how we teach them,” he said, adding that the project would bring necessary technological advances to the high school, including more Smart Boards, computers and projectors. “Because of this, it is all the more important that communities have a high school that responds to those changes. …And with the reimbursement we could get, this would be, perhaps, shortsighted for any community to overlook.”

NHS Principal Janice Saam said education could be impacted in numerous ways, including in traditional classrooms through technology but also in life-skills based classrooms such as that for home economics and childcare.

If the project becomes reality, she said the school would be able to open a working restaurant that could be operated by students in the award-winning culinary department, and the childcare program – used by many families in Naugatuck – would be enhanced with an outdoor courtyard and various other amenities.

She said the school could have “digital classrooms” equipped with adequate computers and Internet access that will allow students Skype with classes around the globe.

“We need to prepare for what is going to happen in our world five, ten years from now and beyond,” she said. “We need to be able to get kids ready for college and the workforce in the 21st century.”

Athletic fields need work, too

NHS Athletic Director and Dean of Students Tom Pompei urged people not to think of the upgrades to the athletic fields - which would include an artificial turf surface - as simply an afterthought.

He discussed to the school and community: the soccer field has protruding sprinkler heads, steel drainage grates around the perimeter and is unplayable if it rains days before.

The football field, he said, is not much better. Because of all the rain this fall, many of the football and soccer junior varsity games have been cancelled, and a varsity game had to be moved to Waterbury's Municipal Stadium. Pompei also discussed how, in years past, state tournament games have been moved because of Naugatuck's poor field conditions.

“That is taking away an opportunity from our students who worked hard to get home-field advantage,” he said. “That is also taking money away from our booster clubs that raise funds for the program through concession sales.”

He said more than one-third of students, or about 500 of them, play a sport and that athletics are a huge part of their lives and education.

“Our fields are currently in a state of disrepair, and that is not being dramatic,” he said, adding that he has to plead with referees before games to allow players on the soccer field because the officials want to deem the surface unplayable.

“This is a small family town and our school is the centerpiece of the community,” he said. “And it’s just not suitable for our kids anymore.”

‘Time is right’

Burgess Bob Neth, the chair of the high school building committee, is known locally as a fiscal conservative, but he said he supports the project because, A. it’s needed, and B. it’s not a short-term project.

“It’s only going to benefit the educational integrity of the borough of Naugatuck for years to come,” he said.

In terms of how much the project will cost each borough taxpayer, he said that is difficult to determine at this point because there are numerous factors that play into that scenario. For example, there will be revaluations over the life of the bond, and the borough’s grand list of taxable property will change.

“We have set it up in a fiscal responsible condition so that it’s not going to be a major impact on the taxpayers,” he said.

While officials don't have the exact tax impact figures, projections based on estimated grand list growth shows the renovation project would mean a 0.01 percent tax increase next year, or just $2 more in taxes for a house assessed at $200,000. The increase could go up to about $40 a year in taxes within seven or eight years, according to projections.

Neth, who has been involved in borough leadership as a member of the Board of Finance, Board of Mayor and Burgesses and long-term capital projects committee since 1989, said the common theme over the years is that the time is not right to spend money.

“The time is right for this project,” he said. “Is the time right for people who are struggling? No. It’s never the right time for people who are struggling. But if we continue to say it’s not the right time, it’s never going to be the right time.

“One of these days, we need to suck it up as a community and say it’s time to move the borough forward,” he said.


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