Sandy Hook school to be demolished, new school built on same site (with reader reactions)- The New Haven Register

By Susan Misursmisur@nhregister.com / Twitter: @nhrsusan

Newtown- Rich Harwood, moderator, leads the discussion during a hearing at the Newtown Council Chamber. Members of the Sandy Hook Task Force were trying to come to an agreement on a new Sandy Hook Elementary School. Photo-Peter Casolino/Register pcasolino@newhavenregister.com

NEWTOWN — After considering 40 locations, deliberating for weeks and hearing from countless residents, officials Friday decided the Sandy Hook Elementary School community belongs in its original home — but in a new building.

A 28-member task force late Friday voted unanimously to construct a new school on the existing site of the old Sandy Hook school, after focusing heavily on that site and the Senior Athletic Field on Riverside Road. Members also considered the Fairfield Hills property and Reed Intermediate School Friday, but decided those weren’t viable options.

First Selectman Patricia Llodra said the new school would cost between $42 million and $47 million, whether it was built at the SAC field, which would require a great deal of site work, or the current school site, which will require the existing building to be demolished.

Task force members, who are on the boards of selectmen, finance and education and the Legislative Council, expressed concerns about how either choice would affect people emotionally. Each site comes with its own challenges, they said.

The current, and now chosen, site will always elicit memories of Dec. 14, when a gunman shot and killed 20 children and six adults at the school in the nation’s deadliest school shooting.

Some people have told task force members they did not want to go back to that site, and especially not to the current building, members said. James Gatson said he also thinks about the families that might want to move to Sandy Hook and how they might feel about sending their young children to school.

Member John Vouros suggested allowing those affected by the tragedy to come tour the site, especially after the old school is torn down and the new one is rising.

“I’m finally at peace with the fact that ... a decision will be made. I’m hoping it’s on the site the school is on now, because I think it can be created in such a beautiful way,” he said before the vote.

However, the SAC site would have required officials to consider eminent domain actions on current property owners of and around the field, which some people found to be a primary sticking point. Some were concerned about the impact on those property owners, while others also discussed the legal implications and possible lengthy legal proceedings that could drag out the rebuilding process.

“We’re doing harm to a lot of people in that area, and that doesn’t seem right, especially when we have another viable spot,” task force member Philip Carroll said. Continued...

Resident Michael Coppola later agreed, saying during public comment, “Let’s not hurt anyone else and take away their homes.”

Additionally, the old Sandy Hook Elementary School is visible from that site because of its higher elevation, members noted.

Newtown High School senior Mergim Bajraliu, who has spoken at every meeting of the task force and at community forums, said before the vote he preferred that the old building stay, but was just pleased the existing site was a final contender. He arrived at Sandy Hook soon after the shootings because his sister attends the school and is a graduate.

“Call me crazy, call me insensitive, but I’d go back to that school tomorrow. I understand it’s not an option anymore, and that upsets me. But I see hope that you’re considering the current Sandy Hook site,” Bajraliu said, adding that it’s just important to bring students back to Sandy Hook.

Sandy Hook students have been attending school at the former Chalk Hill Middle School in Monroe.

The task force last week had decided to look at sites they previously eliminated, including Fairfield Hills. Moderator Rich Hardwood told members that was “not a reversal,” but that they should go back to alternative locations if necessary, saying he considered it a “healthy part of the process.”

But after once again discussing Fairfield Hills, which had been eliminated as an option because it’s not located in Sandy Hook, members learned traffic problems would make the move unsuccessful and that the state may not approve the idea. Multiple development projects are already slated for various parts of the property and have already received state approval regarding traffic.

The other site considered Friday night, but quickly rejected, was Reed Intermediate School. There was a proposal to make the school an elementary school and move the fifth- and sixth-graders currently there. However, the option was deemed “risky” because it’s unknown if enrollment will grow over the next few years.

Following the vote, Llodra complimented the task force for its work, saying the effort was “quite extraordinary” and took a significant commitment from members. The crowd in attendance, which amounted to around 50 people, gave the group a standing ovation.

Hardwood said it was important to take time to talk about all issues related to the various sites and listen to the public and each other. Continued...

http://nhregister.com/articles/2013/05/10/news/doc518cf38355f9c515124674.txt?viewmode=fullstory