School board votes to finish design, costs for new building

Vermont Standard

8/6/2020

By Allan Stein

Standard Staff

The Windsor Central Unified Union School District (WCUUSD) Board voted Monday to spend $137,000 to finish a schematic design and provide a detailed cost estimate for a proposed new middle-high school in Woodstock. The board’s 10-5 vote in favor of the allocation was consistent with the recommendations of the district’s Finance and Building & Grounds Committee on July 9.

The $137,000 will be drawn from the $250,000 in private donations restricted for use toward the $425,000 cost of architectural planning and design of a new facility to replace the aging one on the current grounds. A previous unofficial estimate placed the cost of the project — and a larger facility — at $68 million.

During the months following the Covid pandemic, however, school board members have been weighing a smaller building design that would comfortably meet the needs of 700 students.

However, WCUUSD Board member James Haff of Killington questioned spending additional money on a smaller school building project since a larger facility would accommodate social distancing requirements.

“It doesn’t make sense, to me, to vote on a building if you don’t know how many students will fit into it at this time,” said Haff, who voted against the $137,000

allocation.

WCUUSD Board member Robert Coates of Pomfret, who voted in favor of the allocation, said the “logical next step” was to come up with a detailed building cost estimate and design, which “may or may not be adjusted for COVID.”

“What we know is we have some pretty critical infrastructure issues that need to be addressed. I don’t think you can go to the voters with a hypothetical (construction cost),” Coates said.

“I’m not saying we are going to build the building,” noted WCUUSD Board member Claire Drebitko of Woodstock. “We’ve done so much work — why would we abandon it when we’re so close to the finish line?”

“What we know is we have some pretty critical infrastructure issues that need to be addressed. I don’t think you can go to the voters with a hypothetical (construction cost).”

— Robert Coates of Pomfret, WCUUSD Board Member