Town Says 'Yes' To Starter Funds for Sandy Hook School

A packed crowd of Newtown residents gathered at the Municipal Center unanimously voted Wednesday to accept a $750,000 grant from the State of Connecticut, putting the project to rebuild Sandy Hook Elementary School underway in earnest.

When town officials asked for a voice vote, they were met with a room full of "ayes" and not one "nay." One of the "Ayes" was realtor Eileen Brooks, who said the meeting filled her with "a sense of pride."

"Pride, and determination to get the plans rolling for the new school," said Brooks. "I'll tell you what I'm sure of -- I'm sure a lot of people know more than I do, and I'm confident Pat Llodra, along with the townspeople, are confident in their decision. I'm happy to help get the ball rolling."

Llodra said she was "pleased and proud" by the turnout at Wednesday's meeting, which ended with an ovation from many residents in attendance.

"It's a strong show of support from people from all over the community," she said. "And informal conversations I've had [in the hallway following the meeting] tell me they recognize importance of keeping moving."

Llodra, along with a task force of Newtown officials, voted in May to eventually demolish Sandy Hook Elementary School, unused since Dec. 14, and rebuild a new school on the same spot. The plan, Llodra says, is to return students to Sandy Hook by 2016. To do so, officials say they must move quickly, necessitating the $750,000 grant. Llodra says funds will be used for projects like design, site preparation, wetlands mapping and removing an oil tank for the property.

"All that would have to be done anyway," said Llodra. "Even if we were renovating instead of building anew, we would have to bring the entire building up to code. All of this would have to be done no matter what we do."

The town has been interviewing architects for the project, and Llodra said top choices will be narrowed down toward the end of August. Llodra said no final actions would be taken before a referendum to accept a full $50 million grant for the state, expected to cover the total cost of the project.

"It's really important I not get ahead of community," said Llodra. "If I did otherwise, the signal would be that I had already decided it and their voice doesn't matter."

$50 Million Approval Referendum on the Horizon

State Representative Mitch Bolinsky told Patch Hartford has been "tremendously supportive" of Newtown's plans. The state approved the $50 million as one of their final actions before recess in June.

"From the legislature to the governor," said Bolinsky, "Everything the federal government can't seem to accomplish, we took care of."

Last week a motion by Elizabeth Esty to authorize federal funding for construction fell on deaf ears at a House committee. Esty said she was "deeply disappointed" after the move.

"Not done trying to bring relief to Newtown and to every community that has experienced unimaginable tragedy," she wrote on Facebook. "This is a cause worth fighting for."

The meeting was dictated by town charter, which requires approval for amounts of $500,000 or more. At the same meeting, voters also approved $500,000 for artificial turf at Treadwell Field, to be paid for from the Parks and Recreation department's surcharge fund.

Llodra said she was aware some residents may have felt uncomfortable voting "No" on the project due to the "volume of support" in the room.

"But if there are folks who have concerns questions, I want them to raise them," she said. "Call me or get in contact with me and let me know. We want to make sure we respect everyone's voice."