Committee approves $676,000 contract to add cooling and electrical upgrades at Wolfpit Elementary

The Norwalk City Land Use and Building Management Committee voted June 3 to authorize Mayor Barbara C. Smith to execute a contract with Olympus Construction for air-conditioning and electrical work at Wolfpit Elementary School, for a total not to exceed $676,000, with $67,600 in change-order authorization.

City facilities staff said the work is the final phase of a multi-year temporary cooling program that used window and split units to bring immediate relief to classrooms while the district pursued larger, state-reimbursed rooftop systems in select schools. A facilities official explained an engineering consultant sized units and designed electrical upgrades to provide dedicated circuits to each classroom, and that Olympus — the successful bidder on similar work at Tracy Elementary — submitted the lowest responsive price and is known to the district.

Public commenter Diane Lauracella asked whether the city had explored a Zero Energy Schools approach — combining solar and battery systems and energy-efficiency measures such as air sealing and benchmarking — before approving the electrical upgrades. Facilities staff said energy was considered but called this installation a “temporary” solution intended to get cooling to students as quickly and affordably as possible; they said comprehensive, in-depth electrical studies and full rooftop systems can be significantly more costly and are pursued when state reimbursement makes them feasible.

Committee members asked about how schools were prioritized for cooling and the difference between temporary window/split systems and permanent rooftop package units. Staff said the state had offered an HVAC funding program that reimburses about 60% of eligible costs for larger rooftop projects, which can cost several million dollars and have longer service lives than window units. They said the Wolfpit project was left for later in the series because of site-specific needs, and that this contract would allow the city to complete the classroom cooling rollout this summer.

The committee approved the contract unanimously. Staff said work is scheduled to begin within weeks so the school can have functioning cooling and upgraded electrical circuits for classrooms before the next school year.