The School Construction Project Priority List Review Committee has met to review the 2021 priority list.  There are 15 projects slated for funding.  Among them is the Ellsworth Avenue School Annex in Danbury. 

The total estimated cost is $9,6 million, with nearly 64-percent state reimbursement.  Danbury would receive a $6.1 million grant to go toward the work at the City-owned Osborne Street facility.  It's adjacent to Ellsworth Ave School and is meant to alleviate severe overcrowding. 

The annex would house kindergarten students and provide a permanent home to pre-k students, some of who are currently learning in leased space.  The students will enter Ellsworth through a new connecting corridor allowing students access to core spaces, such as the media center, cafeteria and gym.  The proposed work calls for 7 classrooms with age-appropriate bathrooms, office space and a reception area.  The second floor will include meeting space for the Early Childhood staff. 

Additional parking spaces will accommodate the added staff.  Hazardous material in the Annex will be abated, and a fire suppression system will be added.  A new elevator will connect the first and second floors, making the facility ADA-compliant. 

Another project is partial state reimbursement for Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Region 1.  The new commercial equipment would serve the expanding Farm-to-Table program.  Industry approved machinery and safety equipment would be purchased, along with equipment necessary for the school's existing greenhouse. 

The project cost is just shy of $320,000.  The state will provide 80-percent reimbursement, with a $255,000 grant.  Region 1 plans to fund the kitchen alterations themselves and is not requesting a school construction grant for that purpose. The district's request for equipment to support the Agricultural Education Program has been programmatically approved by the state Department of Education.