The Region 4 Board of Education (BOE) voted on April 4 to move forward with plans on its three major projects at John Winthrop Middle School (JWMS) and Valley Regional High School (VRHS), said officials.

The projects include mold remediation at JWMS and the reopening of the building, upgrades to district athletic facilities, and the school Security project at JWMS, which involves the construction of a vestibule at the building’s entrance.

At its April 4 meeting, the BOE authorized the formation of the JWMS Mold Remediation Project Building Committee to “oversee the project and report back to the Region 4 Board regularly with project updates,” Superintendent Brian White said.

The JWMS Mold Remediation Project Building Committee has approved a vendor, Arcadis, for the mold abatement and cleaning work needed in the building. Arcadis is the project management group the BOE has met with in past meetings and presented to them the ultimate cost estimate of $5.8 for remediation approved by tri-town voters on March 26.

The district will also work with the State of Connecticut to determine reimbursement for the project, said White.

“Our goal remains to have the work substantially completed prior to the start of the 2024-'25 school year so that students and staff can return to the middle school to begin their school year,” said White.

Recreational events will still occur on the JWMS fields this summer, as the mold remediation and security projects will mostly occur inside the building and around the front drop-off circle. Safe public access to the rear fields will be possible.

At the meeting, the Board also approved a scope of work addressing the athletic fields at VRHS, which is anticipated to cost approximately $7,185,000, according to White. The original cost approved by tri-town voters in a referendum last year was $9.9 million. However, the BOE has decided to follow the advice of its financial advisors, Phoenix Advisors, and reduce the cost by over $2.7 million. As reported previously in the Valley Courier, through a short-term note, this would still provide the district access to all necessary funds voters approved for the JWMS security project and mold remediation.

As estimated by Phoenix Advisors, this move is expected to have a short - term impact on the debt service portion of the education budget beginning in 2025, with an increase over three years until dipping back down.

The work on the athletic fields, according to White, involves, “installing synthetic turf fields to the competition field, the multi-use Baseball, and Soccer fields at the rear of the building, and constructing a new track along with other improvements.”

“This work will be completed in phases by our vendor, Field Turf,” he added.

Finally, The Region 4 BOE is continuing with the JWMS Security Project.

“This work will overlap with the mold remediation project and will likely continue into the 2024-'25 school year,” said White.