Ledyard board OKs plans to remodel schools

Ledyard — Plans to renovate two of the town’s schools were approved by the town education board Wednesday night in preparation for the construction bidding process.

The $65 million project will renovate and expand Gallup Hill School to accommodate students from Ledyard Center School, which will be demolished under the project. Ledyard Middle School will accept the town’s sixth-graders.

Permanent Municipal Building Committee Chairman Steven Juskiewitz presented the plans developed by Silver + Petrucelli and Associates and a cost estimate generated by O&G Industries. He noted that the committee chose to include a few school features as “alternates” in the bid package to ensure it came under budget and on schdedule.

Board of Education member Rebecca Graeber offered Juskiewitz “big kudos ... for navigating all of the turns and twists that this project has taken,” which included a last-minute delay of state funding during the last legislative session.

The final cost estimate was over budget by about $1.3 million, although the project still was carrying more than $3 million in contingency funding, as well as additional contingency funding.

The vote on both projects by the education board was unanimous. Going forward, local agencies such as Ledge Light Health District and the fire deparment will sign off on the plans, which will be presented to the state for a pre-construction review on Dec. 20.