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12/19/2019 11:00 PMWith much of the two-story school building looking as it did when it first opened in 1964, cold hallways and other facility problems arising at the aging North Branford High School (NBHS) are being addressed to keep the school up and running; even as estimated costs are on their way for scenarios provided by an architectural review for options ranging from renovating the school to "as-new" condition to tearing it down and building a new facility.
On Dec. 19, Zip06/The Sound took a walk through the school with Superintendent of Schools Scott Schoonmaker, joined by North Branford Public Schools Supervisor of Operations Bill Choti.
Chilly Halls, Warm Classrooms
Schoonmaker said the district and NBHS administration are aware that, due to the recent drop in temperatures outside, some hallways – especially those surrounding the building's two-story "diamond" courtyard – are colder, too. The issue, which has been ongoing seasonally for years, is due in part to the diamond's prevalence of inefficient single-pane hall windows and old glass panel doors leading to the courtyard. He said it would be extremely costly to replace the windows and doors, especially at time when the town is considering the next direction to take for the facility.
Zip06/The Sound visited NBHS on a day when the outside temperature hovered in the 'teens. More than a few students were seen wearing coats as they passed through the halls in the diamond (the coats came off once students got inside their heated classrooms).
Another issue adding to the school's colder hallways is the district's security policy. In place since Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, it calls for classroom doors to be shut and locked during instruction. If the doors were open, heat from the classrooms would help heat the hallways, where heating registers are few and far between, said Choti.
"When this building was originally designed, it was designed to have the classroom doors open," Choti said. "Since Newtown, all the doors are closed."
In addition, ceiling vents in the hallways are connected to air exchange units on the roof; which, even when shut down, will still allow some cold air to seep in.
Students travel through the hallways for periods of about four minutes between classes, said Schoonmaker.
Addressing Maintenance Issues
"We have a thousand people in the building; so if something doesn't work, we have to fix it," said Choti. "We can't fix the whole [building] envelope, but we have to fix that particular thing."
About two years ago, the Town Council approved spending $165,000 for the installation of two new, state-of-the-art boilers. The two new boilers now heat the entire building, with the exception of the school's two gyms, which are still serviced by an older boiler, replaced in the past.
Schoonmaker said concerns arising recently about the school's boilers was likely due to a couple of days in November when issues with two new pumps took the school's heat offline temporarily, while the lines were bled and the pumps checked out and serviced. He said outside temps were in the '50's during the events.
Another investment that's underway at NBHS is the replacement of the school's original elevator, at a cost of approximately $87,000. The elevator received a control board replacement last year after it broke down; but then another complication arose, causing it to be shut down again. Due to its age, finding replacement parts proved too difficult, said Schoonmaker. Now, work is now underway to completely retrofit the system, basically rebuilding it with new parts. The replacement is expected to be complete in January 2020.
As the elevator was out of commission for many months, some second floor classes were moved to the first floor to allow access for students in need of an elevator, said Schoonmaker.
Water backing up sinks is another issue that's come up. In recent weeks, an underground, original cast iron pipe which takes away "gray water" from drains tied in from the cafeteria's dishwasher, commerical cooking kettle and wash sinks backed up; due to a suspected grease clog. To help clear the clog, a drain cleaner was used. The resulting smell could have been mistaken for a sewage or other gas leak; but there was none, said Choti.
On Thursday, Dec. 19, the same pipe backed up again during school, causing the school to close access to use of sinks in the cafeteria wing later that day and on Dec. 20. Paper products were provided during Dec. 20 meal services; service providers also had hot water for handwashing, with water collected in basins and disposed. As the district will be closed for winter vacation during the week of Dec. 23, Choti has scheduled a professional company to come in to fully snake the line and review it using a video scope.
"It's part of the reality of an outdated building that these things are going to happen," said Schoonmaker.
Looking to the Future
Funding approved by the BOE and Town Council for an architectural building review brought in QA+M (Farmington) to draw up possibilities. The firm has now developed options which include renovate-as-new (updating the school within the existing building footprint); renovate-as-new with added building expansion; or tear-down and build new.
In November, QA+M principal Rusty Malik provided the BOE with an overview of those scenarios and also discussed some of the issues and conditions involved with renovating the building. Schoonmaker noted one concern is that a portion of NBHS was built over a stream; which is another condition that will need to be addressed when looking at options.
QA+M is currently finalizing estimated project costs for each option, which will then be brought back to the BOE for review, said Schoonmaker.
"Then, as a board, we'll weigh in on what's in the best interests of the community and the students to move forward in a fiscally sound manner; and then we'll make a recommendation to the Town Council," Schoonmaker said.
A Town Council decision to go forward with an NBHS facility project would set up a referendum vote on bonding the cost.
Currently, the student population at NBHS hovers at about 560, with a flat growth trend anticipated. Schoonmaker said schools with 500-plus students receive better government reimbursement options for facility projects than those with under-500 populations. If the town were to build a new school, he estimates North Branford would likely receive a 50 percent state reimbursement for that cost; while a renovation/expansion project involving the current facility would receive a lesser reimbursement (estimated to be approximately 29 percent).
Noting that North Branford is one of the only area towns left with an aging high school, Schoonmaker also said that, while several surrounding towns have recently invested in developing large-scale high school buildings and campuses, North Branford's needs are different.
"We need small and tall and efficient, with new teaching and learning spaces, to accommodate our needs for 500-plus kids," he said.