Washington School replacement to begin

By Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta

Voice Writer

Washington Elementary School, 369 Washington Ave., days are numbered. School officials plan to begin the demolition and construction of a new school once the current term is over. The iconic building, a landmark to many, is beyond the needs of modern education, and must be replaced.

The 114-year-old building doesn’t conform to the current Connecticut Building Code, according to Lisa Yates, architect with Antinozzi Associates, the firm in charge of the new construction. Though still a nice-looking building, an elementary school with three floors is feasible and incapable of supporting modern school needs.

“We try to keep them on the first floor,” said Yates, adding, “There is no elevator for handicapped. The stairs are not wide enough for people to safely get out of the building,” she said.

Built out of solid masonry, it would be difficult to make adjustments for the stairs.

“If we were to save the school, or part of the school, we’d have to do work in phases, which would add 18 months to construction and inconvenience to the community,” Yates said.

While preparing for the project, Antinozzi Associates questioned parents and staff to give their opinions on the site. Main complaints Yates heard from the community were less about the building and more about the traffic, due to the way the site is arranged for drop-off and pick-up time.

“Parents drop kids off across the street,” she said. “Not safe.”

The new plan will have increased parking on site. There will be a new left turn lane off Washington, which will ease southbound back-up traffic and reduce congestion for residences across Washington.

The new school will be of a modern design, that suits the needs of students today, according to Yates. She also sees the new school will be more functional and more exciting, with a courtyard in the middle with a play area—and a safe place for children to play.

“The fresh idea is that everything is where it should be because it’s a new school,” she said.

While the new school is being built, more than 400 students will be situated at Anna V. Molloy School, 255 Meloy Road, for the next two years. The new school is scheduled to be completed by early 2025.

The full presentation was made to the Planning and Zoning Commission at the end of March.

“They reacted positively,” said Yates. “This building is in a village district. They were pleased with how we met the requirements, maintain the integrity of the neighborhood. The old school was a big anchor. We didn’t try to make the school look like a house, rather a West Haven civic building.”

The project is being managed by the city’s Building Committee, chaired by Ken Carney. This is the same committee that oversaw the very successful high school project, The total cost of the project, including construction is $45 million, and the city saved $800,000 by not hiring a third-party owners representative.

Committee members Ken Carney, chairman; Jerry Calabritto, vice chairman; Dwight Knowles, clerk; and Gary Perdo, Kenneth Distacio, Dave Haslegrave, Markl Palmieri, and Alicia Limosani all perform the functions of owners’ representative, allowing the savings to go back into the project.

“We recently obtained approval of the state to increase state reimbursement for the project,” Yates said. “Building a new building is less expensive than renovating the old as new. In support of that, they’ve increased the percentage they’d pay for.”

The new building will be built to Connecticut standards for sustainability to make it a green building, with sustainable plantings and a full cutoff lighting, mindful of security, Yates said..