Greenwich's next major school construction project is taking shape. The Riverside School renovation, with an estimated $48 million construction cost, is advancing through the town's planning process after the Board of Education approved expanded building specifications in May.

The 1932 school serves 431 students and has building deficiencies including accessibility gaps, entrance security issues, no sprinkler system and an undersized kitchen and cafeteria, the Greenwich Sentinel reported. The project also includes $2 million budgeted for architectural and engineering work in 2026. You can view the Conceptual Design here.

Pre-K vote could save $5 million

The Board of Education voted 6-2 on May 28 to restore two pre-K classrooms to the Riverside renovation specifications. That change makes the project eligible for a higher state reimbursement rate tied to early childhood education, a move expected to save the town up to $5 million, Greenwich Time reported. Board members Dr. Mercanti-Anthony and Ms. Vizzo Walsh voted against.

BOE member Veronica Chiavaroli said at the May 28 meeting that the Riverside School Building Committee had interviewed architects and hoped to select one before the end of the school year.

Town Administrator Kate Bush told the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) Budget Committee that close to $100 million in capital projects follow the current fiscal year, including the Riverside renovation and a $55 million Greenwich High School pool project, according to Greenwich Time.

Lessons from Central Middle School

Riverside enters a pipeline Greenwich knows well. The town's new $112 million Central Middle School opened with a ribbon-cutting on Aug. 24 after an emergency rebuild that accelerated the project's timeline. A 2018 facilities plan had placed major work at Central around 2030, but a February 2022 structural emergency forced the town's hand. The Representative Town Meeting (RTM) approved that project 179-4.

At the ceremony, building committee chair Joe Rossetti said the committee expects to finish within the original budget and receive roughly $20 million in state reimbursements. Greenwich's legislative delegation secured a 20% reimbursement rate in 2024.

"There are states where they actually pay people to serve on those committees," Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones said at the Aug. 24 ceremony. "We don't do that in Connecticut. It truly is like having a job."

More than $251 million committed

Central is the largest single project, but not the only one. Greenwich appropriated about $46 million for the Greenwich High School MISA project and $37.3 million for New Lebanon School, the Sentinel editorial noted. The Old Greenwich School renovation, approved at $55.8 million, began construction in April and is expected to finish in January 2029.

The Sentinel editorial drew three lessons from Central's history: a facilities plan can identify a serious problem and still schedule it too far away; deferred maintenance can become emergency spending; and saving money in one budget year can increase costs in another.

No RTM appropriation vote date for Riverside has been announced. The project remains in the planning phase.