Cheshire BOE to hold public presentation Thursday (Feb. 23) on $423 million Facility Master Plan to upgrade the town's school facilities

Dan Nowak

The Cheshire Board of Education, in an effort to connect, interact and inform Cheshire residents, will be holding a public presentation on the BOE’s Facility Master Plan to revitalize and upgrade the town’s schools on Thursday (Feb. 23) from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Cheshire High library (525 South Main St.).

Cheshire residents are urged to attend to learn about the details regarding this major issue that will produce needed improvements for our academic facilities and also have a major financial impact on the town.

The Facility Master Plan involves an across-the-board academic facility upgrade proposal that includes construction of a new Cheshire High and Dodd Middle School. This is a 10-year plan that will have an overall cost of $423.83 million with a net cost to the town of $303.83 million.

For a complete and comprehensive breakdown of what the Facility Master Plan involves, including a breakdown of all the costs, the Cheshire High website has produced an informative page at this link – http://bit.ly/2kMILWj. The page on the high school website also includes an informative 10-minute video discussing the plan.

The key item with the public presentation - a spokesperson in Superintendent Jeffrey Solan’s office confirmed that officials from Perkins Eastman Architects, which has developed the current plan, will be conducting a detailed presentation of the Facility Master Plan.

In a prepared statement, Solan said, “A plan of this magnitude requires the public’s understanding and feedback. With the average age of Cheshire’s schools approaching 65 years, it is imperative that we focus on plans for replacement and or substantial renovation in order to provide our students with suitable learning spaces, as well as, to ensure the long-term economic viability of our community.”

For more information regarding the public hearing, you can call the superintendent’s office at 203-250-2430.

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