Board previews scaled-back Lewisboro Elementary renovation to house UPK; cost trimmed to about $19.95M

Trustees reviewed a revised plan to renovate the closed Lewisboro Elementary School (LES) to host the district's Universal Pre-K program and related functions, presented by the district's architects (S12).

The architects said the reduced-scope design deletes a new glazed connector, trims a proposed security vestibule, and removes a large adult-bathroom cluster that had supported a community-center use. "The reduced scope... costs under $895,000" for the gym portion, one architect stated, and the team presented a total estimate of about $19.95 million after adding standard contingencies and escalation — down roughly 18 percent from the May bond figure of $24.5 million. S12 explained that the previous $24.5M figure started from direct hard costs (~$16.73M) and increased after allowances for legal, testing, insurance, design contingency, prevailing wage and escalation.

The plan preserves the existing gym and some infrastructure upgrades while removing elements that community respondents identified as a barrier to support. Board members and an architect discussed long-term options to add air conditioning later and the trade-offs of omitting some HVAC work now to save immediate costs. "We are suggesting a choice to eliminate HVAC in certain areas... it can be slotted in later," S12 said.

Trustees emphasized keeping the gym available to the town, noting it is one of the community's few indoor courts. The architects also recommended alternatives such as selective demolition and shorter-term work to keep the campus available for recreational use while UPK functions are prioritized.