https://www.newstimes.com/local/article/State-grant-approved-for-Bethel-s-Rockwell-12904385.php
State grant approved for Bethel’s Rockwell, Johnson projects
Updated 1:55 pm, Thursday, May 10, 2018
BETHEL — The legislature unanimously approved Wednesday night a grant that will partially pay for renovations to Rockwell and Johnson elementary schools.
The grant will cover 45 percent of eligible costs of the $65.8 million project, which voters approved in the fall.
“I’m absolutely thrilled,” Superintendent Christine Carver said. “Obviously, this is kind of the last big hurdle in the project in terms of the funding of it and I just think it will continue to move the district forward.”
Rockwell was built in 1971 and Johnson in 1980. Both schools are too small, have outdated roofs and heating and cooling systems, and are not handicapped-accessible, officials have said.
The renovated buildings will include natural light, updated media centers, a safer traffic pattern and other improvements.
“These facilities desperately need [renovations,]” Carver said. “It’s the right step for the community.”
The state will pay for $11.1 million of the $24.7 million renovation to Rockwell and $18.5 million of the $41.1 million work at Johnson.
The state Senate unanimously approved the monies Wednesday morning, while the House unanimously voted in favor of the grant a half-hour before the legislative session ended Wednesday night. The governor will still need to sign the bill, but Carver said she is not expecting any problems.
As part of the bill, nearly a dozen towns, including Norwalk, Oxford and Milford, will receive $86.4 million grants for school construction projects.
Larry Craybas, chairman of the Board of Education, said the town had heard from its representatives that earning the grant was likely. But that didn’t make the approval any less sweet.
“We’re ready to get moving,” Craybas said. “We’ve been ready.”
The buildings have already been designed, but Craybas said the district still has a lot of other pre-construction work to finish, including hazardous-waste testing. Portable classrooms will be installed in the fall and significant construction will begin in December or January.
“That’s why we were anxious to get this approved because there is a lot of work to do before you start pounding a nail and put a shovel in the ground,” Craybas said.
Rockwell is expected to be finished by November 2020, while Johnson is anticipated to be complete by January 2021. Afterward, third-graders will be moved from Rockwell to Johnson.
