More analysis of school expansion project needed


NORTH CANAAN — A planned expansion of North Canaan Elementary School has become mired in the red tape of state reimbursements. Until some of those numbers can be more firmly established, no approvals will be sought from residents and the new child care center will not be built this summer as hoped.

The North Canaan Building Committee has been meeting for nearly two years, and for months now with an architect. A $40 million plan was cut nearly in half, with an indoor pool eliminated. But estimating final costs is impossible without some idea of what percentage the state will reimburse.

The problem lies in that portion of the project which is defined as purely "educational space," as in classrooms and other spaces used only by students and school staff. A "real" auditorium, a double gym and walking track, for example, would be in the realm of town facilities.

The state is likely to approve much smaller percentages for those multi-use spaces. The committee has sought the help of Region One Business Manager Sam Herrick to determine closer estimates of reimbursements. With those in hand, a better idea of what can actually be built can be determined.

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