Middle School Building Project / Committee
Submit comments to the Middle School Building Committee: buildingcommittee@mpsct.org
Middle School Building Project Update 2019-02-25
As many of you know, in November 2017 Middletown voters approved overwhelmingly a referendum to construct a new middle school for grades 6-8. As chair and vice-chair of the building committee, we are pleased to provide this update to parents about the status of the project. We will be providing updates like these from now until the end of the project.
The project is currently on schedule and on budget, with an anticipated opening date of August 2021. The plan remains to consolidate Keigwin and Woodrow Wilson schools into the new school. When the new school is finished, the old Woodrow Wilson will be demolished, leaving Keigwin vacant. It will be determined at a later date what to do with Keigwin once it is no longer needed for 6th grade.
The construction for this project will be done in phases. Phase One will begin in June 2019, with the demolition of the current Woodrow Wilson Auditorium and administrative offices. This phase will also include work to relocate the administrative offices elsewhere in the building and for the creation of new temporary bus loops and parent drop-off/pick-up areas. The goal of Phase One is to create the room necessary to construct the new building, provide a safe buffer zone between the construction area and the current Woodrow Wilson, and facilitate access to the current school while construction is underway.
Phase Two of the project is construction of the new 150,000 sq/ft three-story school, immediately in front of the current Woodrow Wilson. The school is slated to accommodate 920 students and construction is scheduled to take 26 months. Designs for the new school are underway, and will incorporate security best practices, a new auditorium, STEAM labs, and state of the art mechanical systems. We are also currently studying various additional energy efficiency measures to ensure the new building is as energy efficient as possible.
Phase Three of the project will take place in the summer/fall of 2021. That will include fitting out, furnishing and opening the new school as well as demolition of the old school and construction of a new parking lot and athletic field. Additionally, the current Woodrow Wilson gymnasiums, pool and locker rooms will be preserved during this phase, reconfigured to work as a stand-alone building, and turned over to the city as a future city recreation facility.
While safety is and will be our primary concern, we understand the need to limit the inconvenience to students attending the current Woodrow Wilson School during the two years of construction, as well as their parents and teachers. While certain things cannot be avoided, like demolition of the current auditorium, we will make every effort to ensure that the current school can be accessed safely and facilitates teaching and learning during construction. If at any time during the project you have safety concerns, please bring these to the immediate attention of the building principal and/or the Director of Operations, Marco Gaylord.
We are currently in the process of developing a website to share important information about the project, including schedules and designs. We will also develop a method for individuals to opt-in to a distribution list to receive the materials that the building committee receives. School Messenger will be the primary platform for updates such as this, but we will also distribute these messages via social media.
In the meantime, you may reach out to us directly with questions or concerns, or you can email the committee clerk, Marie Norwood at marienorwood@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
Mary Bartolotta and Christopher Drake
mary.bartolotta@middletownct.gov
Chairperson, Middle School Building Committee
Councilperson, Middletown Common Council
drakec@mpsct.org
Vice Chair, Middle School Building Committee
Chairperson, Middletown Board of Education
Middle School Building Committee Agendas & Minutes can be found on the
City of Middletown website
On November 7, 2017 the Middle School Building Referendum was APPROVED!!
November 7, 2017 Ballot Question -Final Explanatory Text
Middle School Building Project Timeline​
__________________________________________________________________________
Middle School Study - Middletown Public Schools dated July 4, 2017 and approved by the Woodrow Wilson Building Committee on September 19, 2017.
Documents presented in the May 23, 2017 BOE Regular meeting:
Documents presented in the May 9, 2017 BOE Regular meeting:
Documents presented in the April 27, 2017 meeting:
Community Forums - Middle School Feasibility Study
Middletown Public Schools April 19th, 20th, and 24th, 2017 by TSKP Studio
The Woodrow Wilson Middle School Building Committee is seeking public input!
The public is invited to attend any one of the three upcoming forums:
April 19, 2017 Wed @ 7PM - Woodrow Wilson Middle School's Cafeteria (following the 6:00 WWMS Open House for incoming 7th graders).
April 20, 2017 Thurs @ 6PM - Snow Elementary School Auditorium
April 24, 2017 Mon @ 6PM - Lawrence Elementary School
Come to provide your thoughts on what you would like to see in a new middle school. These forums are early in our process.
Click here to view the flyer concerning the forums for the Middle School Building Project.
BUILDING COMMITTEE SUMMARY - March 16, 2017
The committee unanimously chose a high-level conceptual layout for a new middle school using the current Woodrow Wilson property east of Hunting Hill Avenue. The committee asked the architects to consider several different options including saving the current auditorium and incorporating it into the new school or demolition of the current auditorium and construction of a new auditorium with the new building. The concept chosen will maintain the current pool as a separate facility. The architects were also asked to consider saving the gym and auxiliary gym for city recreational use. Other issues under consideration include temporary busing lanes while construction is in progress and reconfiguration of Hunting Hill Avenue, either temporarily or permanently, to provide space for construction equipment and permit students to more safely access the athletic fields on the western side of Hunting Hill Avenue.
The new building will likely contain a three-story portion, providing a separate level for each grade 6 - 8. Though current Woodrow Wilson Middle School is approximately 180,000 sq/ft (including the pool), in light of new state guidelines and projected decreasing student enrollment, the new building will probably be between 125,000 to 150,000 sq/ft. Currently, student enrollment grades 6-8 is 998. By 2021, it is projected to be 898 (10% decrease) and by 2024, 821 (17% decrease).
|
On April 26, 2016, Mayor Dan Drew swore in John Giuliano, Sheila Daniels and Christopher Drake
to the Middle School Building Committee.
Mary Bartolotta - Chair
Christopher Drake - Vice Chair
|