WHS project off to voters

WINDHAM, Conn. — The board of finance Wednesday gave its seal of approval for a $112.3 million appropriation and bonding for the Windham High School building project.

Now, the project will move forward for voter approval.

By a 6-0 vote, the board of finance approved a $112,332,777 appropriation and authorized the town to bond for a high school building renovation project.

Windham Board of Finance Vice Chairman Tyler Griffin was absent from the meeting, but Windham Board of Finance Chairman Thomas White said Griffin had notified board members he was in favor of the appropriation.

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Cities, counties, school districts and the state would be allowed to enter into public-private partnerships to upgrade energy services under a bill winding its way through the Washington Legislature.

Taxpayers will vote on the project during a referendum held in conjunction with the Nov. 7 municipal election.

White emphasized Wednesday the board of finance did not take a position on the project, rather, it simply approved the appropriation and bonding and gave residents the opportunity to vote on the project at referendum.

"I think it's (taxpayers') right to say 'yes' or 'no,'" he said.

Windham Board of Education Acting Chairman Murphy Sewall and Windham Superintendent of Schools Patricia Garcia could not be reached for comment this morning.

Windham Unified Finance Director Christian Johnson said if the project is approved at referendum, it will be bonded for 20 years, beginning in fiscal year 2019.

According to estimates, the town is expected to pay about $43.6 million of the project costs, with the state picking up the rest.

The project would include renovations to the high school building to accommodate the high school as well as the district central offices and Windham Early Childhood Center, which would be moved from the Kramer building to the high school building.

The town council recommended Tuesday the board of finance approve the $112.3 million appropriation and authorize bonding.

State guidelines require the town to conduct a referendum for approval of the project by mid-November under the current application, which was filed earlier this summer to meet the reimbursement rates at that time.

The town will hold a special town meeting Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. at Windham Town Hall, during which information will be presented about the project.

There won't be a vote during the special town meeting, though there will be during the Nov. 7 referendum.

The high school is considered outdated and in need of technology upgrades, as well as being at only about half its capacity, which was 1,200 when the school was built 50 years ago.

School officials aim to maximize the use of space in the high school building as well as address a request from the town for the school district to move out of the Kramer building by Aug. 1, 2018.

The town intends to sell the Kramer building, currently home to school district central offices, early childhood education and the town recreation department.

Windham Mayor Ernest Eldridge sent a letter to the board of education April 19 about moving out of Kramer without the town council's approval.

Although the letter was already sent, the council officially approved that notification during its meeting Tuesday evening.

Several people spoke about the high school building project during the public comment portion of Wednesday's finance board meeting.

"I really believe our students deserve better, so I would ask people to think about that," said Kathy Koljian, a teacher at Windham High School, speaking about the maintenance needs at WHS.

Paul Kalajian, chairman of the board of education's school planning and design committee, which is overseeing the project, said board of education members discussed "getting the best bang for our buck" in connection with the high school building project.

"We take care of the children in this town," he said.

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School bonds Connecticut
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