Task Force Calls for New Sandy Hook School at Same Site

If Newtown officials have their way, Sandy Hook School will -- eventually -- be coming home to Sandy Hook.

A task force of Newtown town leaders voted unanimously Friday to recommend returning Sandy Hook Elementary School students to the same land where the school now stands -- and has stood empty since the Dec. 14 shooting. But rather than a renovation, students would come home to a brand new building.

The former school would be torn down, officials said, and the new school is proposed to be rotated at a different angle and open to traffic at Crestwood Drive rather than Dickenson Drive.

Officials admitted it was a difficult decision.

"We do not have the best of worlds. We have a situation that is unwanted, unplanned and terrible," said Board of Education member Keith Alexander.

The task force was asked to decide from a variety of options, each with their own shortcomings. After officials stepped away from Fairfield Hills and Reed Intermediate School as possibilities, they was left to choose between a renovation of the old building, a new building at the same site and a bundle of parcels down the road on Riverside Road.

Town attorney Monty Frank said there could be "significant difficulties" if the town chose to pursue the alternate property, including uncertainty on an apparently defunct organization who owned part of the land and the possibility of eminent domain.

"I just don't think we gain enough at [the alternate site on Riverside] that responds to some of the challenges we have at that site," said First Selectman Pat Llodra.

In addition, building officials said renovating the original school would be difficult. Windows, walls and floors would have to be stripped away and rebuilt. A renovation had been priced at $45 million.

Although some parents have expressed their wishes to never return, some residents who spoke Friday night said they approved of keeping the school on the same site.

"Call me crazy. Call me insensitive. I would go back to that school tomorrow," said Newtown High School student Mergim Bajralin. His sister attends Sandy Hook, and he was present the day of the shooting.

Some of those who disagreed commended officials on their difficult work. The meeting concluded with a standing ovation for the task force from those in attendance.

The matter must now move to the Board of Education. A final vote must still go to referendum, although town officials hope 100% of the funds can be covered by the state or federal government. Officials estimate the cost as between $42 and $47 million.