Sandy Hook School Project Approval Still Faces Long Road

Newtown officials face two hurdles in coming months as the town tries to move ahead with the planned demolition and rebuilding of Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The first is a town meeting to approve a state-funded $750,000 appropriation, set for July 24 at 7 p.m. by the Legislative Council Tuesday night. (Town officials have said the funds are necessary to "keep the project going" against deadlines.) The second is an unscheduled referendum in the fall that would allow the town to accept $50 million set aside by the state for reconstruction.

First Selectman Pat Llodra told Patch there's "no easy answer" as to what would happen if Newtown accepted the $750,000 and the fall referendum failed. The original appropriation would already be spent, she said.

"That's a hypothetical I hope we never have to face," she said. "If we get the $750,000 and do the site and design work, and don't approve the $50 million, we would have to go back to the drawing board. We would have no project at that point."

Should residents reject the initial appropriation at the July 24 town meeting, Llodra said the town would "completely stop the project," likely until the fall referendum. But that, too, could have consequences.

"We're on a very tight construction schedule in the hopes we'll have the school ready for use by the 2016 school year," she said. "All this preparatory work -- all the engineering and design -- has to keep going, or it's time we'll lose. And to lose four months has a substantial impact."

In May, town officials vote unanimously in favor of demolishing and rebuilding Sandy Hook Elementary School in its current location at 12 Dickenson Drive. The new building would feature a retooled entrance. The old building is scheduled for demolition in November.

Town officials presented the state with a document outlining expenses warranting the allocation, including pre-engineering and engineering work, surveys, wetlands postings, architect's fees and removal of an underground oil tank. The town is currently selecting lead professionals for the project, including architects and construction managers, according to a recently released Q&A.

Funds from both appropriations would be covered by the state, not Newtown taxpayers. But town charter requires a referendum on sums of $10 million or larger, no matter the source.