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03/01/2024 10:47 AMThe Region 4 School District (Reg. 4) will hold a referendum on $5.8 million in appropriations for the remediation of the mold outbreak at John Winthrop Middle School (JWMS) on March 26.
The full resolution reads, “Shall Regional School District No. 4, comprised of the Towns of Chester, Deep River, and Essex, appropriate $5.8 million for the remediation of a mold outbreak; repairs to the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and dehumidification services at John Winthrop Middle School, and authorize the issuance of bonds, notes or temporary notes in an amount not to exceed $5.8 million to finance the appropriation?”
The vote will come six months after JWMS students and faculty had to relocate to Valley Regional High School (VRHS) after an outbreak of mold was discovered at the JWMS building in September 2023. Since then, educational leaders in the Reg. 4 district have met with environmental and engineering consultants to conduct and receive root cause analyses on the interior and exterior factors that led to the mold outbreak.
According to a report issued in January from the investigative team of QA+M Architecture and its mechanical and structural engineering partners at RZ Design Associates, “it is believed that due to improper installation and insufficient pipe insulation, and exposure to humid air inside the building allowed moisture to condense on the pipes saturating the insulation. The saturated insulation created an environment conducive for mold growth and propagation,” reported the team.
The team also opined in its report that “an improperly/poorly sealed building envelope” was “a contributing factor to moisture present within the building…The suspected high levels of air infiltration into the building through existing window openings and wall penetrations makes it very difficult to properly condition the building.”
Project managers Arcadis have estimated that the total cost of the remediation is $5,779,010, as shown in a slide presentation at a public hearing the district held about the proposed referendum on Feb. 21. The subtotal of the hard costs that will go into replacements and repairs to the interior infrastructure is estimated to be $4,478,000, with most going towards solving the aforementioned failures addressed in QA+M Architecture and RZ Design Associates’ report.
According to its slides, Arcadis has estimated $1 million for upgrades to the building's inefficient HVAC system, which was found to not have the capability to dehumidify the building interior, which allowed for the exterior and interior air qualities of the building to create poor conditions.
Arcadis estimates another $1 million for the “removal of hall heating and cooling piping insulation, and necessary tiles” and for the cleaning of rooms and their items.
An estimated $1,327,000 is to go towards new insulation and ceiling tiles, to “where there is insulation hidden in ceiling and wall chases…and walls to be repaired,” along with minor roof patching and to an inoperable roof drain.
Aside from the hard costs, the project managers estimated that $783,650 of the $5.8 million would go toward environmental consultants, permits, and design fees.
District Superintendent Brian White said there is the possibility that the total amount attached to the referendum can be reduced through the acquisition of state or federal grants. He said the district has already reached out to the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management and is anticipating qualification for a grant “because of the nature of this project” as it relates to an emergency at JWMS.
“We believe that we would qualify for state reimbursement at least in part for the project,” said White. “However, the state's not going to be able to tell us exactly what the rate of reimbursement is until we have a project to submit to the state for their review.”
White told the Valley Courier that Arcadis is “pretty optimistic” that reimbursement is attainable.
According to White, “If the proposed JWMS project passes at [the] referendum, the work will begin immediately.” Arcadis laid out in a timeline at the Feb. 21 hearing that following project designing, bidding, and mandated approvals, abatement work to remove the mold and clean the building will begin in May and run through July. The latter month will also see the beginning of improvements to the interior infrastructure, which will take up the bulk of the cost.
The goal for the district is to have most of the work completed so that it will be safe for students and faculty to return to JWMS on the first day of the 2024-‘25 academic year.
“Arcadis is working very hard to ensure that that's possible, assuming that this project passes the referendum,” said White.
Improvements may also carry over into the fall of the school year. In light of this possibility, the district will work with its service providers to “figure out the best schedule to complete that work,” whether during the school day or after hours, said White.
The referendum on March 26 comes almost a year after tri-town voters approved $9.9 million in bonding for improvements to outdoor athletics facilities at JWMS and VRHS.
White said that the “Reg. 4 BOE [Board of Education] and administration has heard a variety of feedback from community stakeholders about the coordination of the athletic field improvements and the scope of work required at the middle school” as they are “very sensitive about taking on some large expenditures all at once.”
The superintendent added, “The Reg. 4 administration is working with Arcadis to develop a phased approach to addressing the athletic fields that is sensitive to the financial concerns of residents while meeting the immediate needs of our schools.”
Eligible voters in the tri-town area will cast their ballots on the referendum on March 2. Chester voters should vote at Chester Town Hall, 203 Middlesex Turnpike. Deep River residents should vote at the Community Meeting Room at Deep River Public Library, 150 Main Street. Essex residents should vote at the Essex Town Hall, 29 West Avenue. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
A copy of the full text of the resolution is on file and available for public inspection at the Town Clerk’s offices in Chester, Deep River, and Essex. Absentee ballots will also be available from the Town Clerk’s offices.