Committee OKs additional work for NHS

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NAUGATUCK — The Naugatuck High School renovation project is expected to be completed by the first week of November, four years after voters approved it at referendum.

Project Manager Joe Vetra said he fully expects the $81 million project to come in on time, and local officials said it will be under budget.

Meanwhile, the committee overseeing the renovate-to-new project continues to use excess money to fund additional high school projects that were not in the original plans.

On Monday, the committee unanimously approved several projects totaling more than $700,000.

Among them is $391,000 for a storage facility for sports equipment, $145,000 for additional bleachers for the baseball and football/soccer field, $80,000 for cafeteria tables and $6,000 for greenhouse equipment.

Naugatuck High School Principal Janice Saam also brought forth a list of 21 items for the school totaling $86,295 that was approved. Among the bigger items on the list are outdoor furniture — $21,400; platform risers for the auditorium — $29,504; and cabinets — $14,460.

Saam has also discussed spending about $850,000 for technology upgrades, including about 300 laptop computers for students. That will be discussed in the coming months, said Burgess Robert Neth, committee chairman.

The committee has also discussed purchasing air conditioning for the cafeteria and oscillating fans for the pool seating area to remove condensation.

The committee had discussed spending about $1.3 million to purchase privately-owned homes in front of the high school to make for a larger parking lot and more visibility of the school. However, after attempting negotiations with the homeowners, the borough decided not to move forward with the purchase attempt.

The borough received approval from voters four years ago to complete the renovation project. The state agreed to reimburse 74.6 percent of the project, which was slightly more than the borough had anticipated.