By Bill Slocum
Contributing Editor
A new plan for the New Lebanon Elementary School site in Byram won support from the Board of Selectmen, but will it be an optimal use of an admittedly difficult site? A member of the architectural firm handling the project says yes.
Ryszard Szczypek, a principal at the architectural firm of Tai Soo Kim Partners, claimed the plan, known as “Option 3,” is large and flexible enough to accommodate the public school’s existing magnet programming, while aesthetically raising the bar with long, curving walls along the perimeter.
“I feel very good about it,” Szczypek said. “It is unusual, but if you were to study the topography of the existing site, you would see the east and west edges follow the topographic lines exactly. It minimizes the amount of cutting we will have to do to get the foundations into the ground. While it has taken an irregular shape, I think it actually ends up being quite striking.”
Steve Walko, chairman of the New Lebanon Building Committee, said this week that a new school can still be built in time for the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year, despite the need of getting several other key approvals.
“It’s tight, for sure,” Walko said. “But we have a lot of pieces in place already. We are in the process of retaining a construction manager. I hope to have one this week.”
Walko said the plan is likely to undergo some changes as it deals with issues like the size of the cafeteria and the exact configuration of the school’s interior, which will de-emphasize traditional classrooms in favor of a more open layout conducive to New Lebanon’s ongoing International Baccalaureate program.
“One of the areas we are looking at is the relationship of the gym and the field,” he said. “To make sure there is harmony between those two aspects, which is not there now, we are looking to develop those plans.”
Other matters still to be settled include the disposition of a right-of-way easement next to the school and the restoration of an athletic field on the easement’s other side, the William Street Field, which the Board of Selectmen asked last week the Building Committee incorporate into their plans.
Another a critical question is cost. At the moment, the new building itself is expected to cost the town just under $30 million, plus $2.1 million more for temporary classrooms. The state has indicated they will pay up to 80 percent of the cost of a new school, as more space would allow for the magnet school to function properly and thus allow for better racial balance. Walko acknowledged the town needs to be vigilant in securing Hartford’s support.
“This is one of the reasons Tai Soo Kim was selected as the architect, as they have a history of dealing with the state,” Walko said. “I am going forward with the assumption that the state will pick up a significant proportion of that 80 percent.”
At a Budget Committee meeting on Monday, parents of New Lebanon schoolchildren spoke in favor of moving forward with Option 3.
“It’s the best opportunity to build a great new school from scratch, unhindered by the small site we have on top of a hill,” said Eric Maurer, a father of one at the school who is also a Byram member of the Representative Town Meeting. “It’s a more compact design, it’s energy-efficient, and it has better circulation for students and teachers.”
Syczypek described the site as a stimulating challenge for his firm.
“I find flat sites that are square rather boring,” he said. “This project is very unique. I don’t think the site design should be repeated. But it is designed to fit this site like a glove.”
