Questions & Answers

Q. What other options did the fhs building committee review before selecting a new high school?

A. The FHS Building Committee engaged two architectural firms to complete three conceptual designs each, which included an option for maintaining the current facility, doing major renovation on the current facility, or building a new school.  Below is a summary of the options that were reviewed and why they were not selected.

  • Maintain Option at a project cost of $49M

This was this least expensive concept but was not even considered a suitable solution by the architects presenting it.  This concept was a required submission by the building committee to understand the cost of maintaining the building and doing nothing more. It did not meet the statement of needs or safety requirements, required additional capital expenditures, and caused significant disruption to learning during construction.

  •  Maintain “Light” Option at a project cost of $99M

This concept went beyond maintenance by adding an addition, but still did not meet the full statement of needs, safety concerns remained and it caused significant disruption to learning

  •  Two Renovate as New Options at a project cost of $138 - $140 Million

Both renovate as new options met the majority of the statement of needs and did provide flexible learning environments, but only addressed some of the safety concerns, left concerns around project duration and cost due to unknowns during the renovation and would lead to significant disruption to learning during construction due to a phased renovation approach.

The following chart was displayed to Town Council on February 4, 2020, to summarize the committee’s evaluation of the options and recommendation of a new building.

*The State Reimbursement rates in January 2020, when these options were presented to and evaluated by the FHS Building Committee were, up to 30% for a renovation, and up to 20% for a new building. The 2021 rates for Farmington are now up to 28.93% for renovation and up to 18.93% for a new building.

Q. DID YOU LOOK AT AN ALTERNATE SITE FOR A NEW HIGH SCHOOL?

A. Yes, the Site Evaluation Subcommittee conducted a full review of over 25 potential alternate sites in Farmington. After a comprehensive analysis, it was determined that the current municipal site was the only viable option. A detailed analysis is available here.

Q. Does the design of the new building provide safeguards against future pandemics?

A. While maintaining proper social distancing and wearing face coverings are probably most effective in reducing the risk of exposure to a virus, certain features in the design of buildings can certainly help. The new FHS building will have larger classrooms, wider corridors, easily cleanable surfaces and touchless plumbing features. It will have new ventilation systems, a higher level of air filtration, and the ability to automatically flush air out of the building on a regular basis.  Also, the ventilation system will have separate zones that will make it easier to separate different cohorts of students and staff, and to isolate zones in order to prevent cross-contamination.

Q. who are the town officials and committees in charge of the process?

A. Members of the Town Council, Board of Education, and Farmington High School Building Committee are working collaboratively on the FHS building project. See list of members here.

Q. How disruptive will building a new school be for students, teachers, and others?

A. There will be no disruption to teaching and learning during construction. There will be a fenced off section that will be clearly marked that separates the current high school from the building site.

Q. What are the costs for building a new high school, and tax implications for a homeowner?

A. The estimated total project cost is approximately $135.6 million. The Town Council set a net municipal cost range for this project at $105 to $110 million, which the FHS Building Committee is committed to delivering a project below the net municipal project maximum. This will be offset by reimbursement from the State of Connecticut, estimated at approximately $26.3 million.

Because of Farmington’s ongoing retirement of existing capital projects bonded debt, there will only be five years (Fiscal Years 2023 to 2027), that the high school project will increase the property tax. The tax impact for the average Farmington/Unionville homeowner, with an assessed value of $226,777 is estimated to be $466 in total over those five years, averaging $93 per year, or under $8 per month.

Fore more information, visit the Project Cost page.

Q. What is the proposed project timeline?

A. The estimated project timeline is as follows:

Q. how will a new high school benefit the community?

A. High quality schools protect property values. Realtors routinely cite the quality of our school system for promoting home ownership in Farmington. Farmington High School also is home to many recreational and educational programs. Over 150 Adult and Continuing Education classes and more than 125 groups use the school’s classrooms, library, cafeteria, gymnasium and auditorium. These classes and group activities generate additional revenue. The new facility will better serve sports and recreation, performing arts, and clubs and organizations in our community.

Q.WILL THE BUILDING BE ABLE TO BE USED BY THE COMMUNITY IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY?

A. An emergency generator is included in the project. The generator will be sized to allow critical systems to operate in the event of a power outage in Farmington. In addition, the building is designed so that selected areas can be opened to residents if their homes have been affected by severe weather events. Food service areas can continue to operate, as well as bathrooms and showers in the new building.

Q. what reviews or studies have been conducted to determine the statement of need?

A.  The following reviews and studies have been conducted to determine the FHS Statement of Need:

Q. What are the enrollment projections for farmington high school?

A. Based on a detailed enrollment projection report created in November 2019, enrollment will increase to 1,404 students by 2029, which represents a 10% increase of the current enrollment. View a summary slide of the report here, and read the full report here.

Q. Why is the 900 Wing of the School being renovated as part of the proposed design?

A. First and foremost, the 900 wing is needed for FHS field house locker rooms.  The field house locker rooms are critical to our athletic program and are currently located in the 900 wing in our proposed new FHS facility.  These are expanded locker rooms because we currently do not have the correct number of locker rooms in our current facility which is in conflict with federal requirements.

Second, the use of the 900 wing to house our district-wide technology department will expand instructional space at the new FHS facility for our students because that department is currently taking up square footage (2 classrooms and office space) within the current high school.  Our district-wide technology department supports technology infrastructure and operations in all seven schools and for Town Hall.  We do not have adequate space at Town Hall to house our Technology Department, so this department is currently off-site in the FHS facility. By freeing up this space, we capture more instructional space for students in the proposed new FHS facility.  

Lastly and most importantly, Farmington has one of the smallest staff levels for Central Office in the entire state of Connecticut.  We rank 155 out of 166 towns in general administration with 1 spending the most and 166 spending the least.  Only 11 other school districts in Connecticut spend less than Farmington on Central Office administration, yet we experience favorable and impressive achievement outcomes.  Due to the efficient staffing levels within Central Office, the 900 wing will house the following Central Office departments in a reasonable level of square footage:

  • Technology

  • Special Services

  • Finance and Operations

  • Human Resources

  • Facilities

  • Curriculum and Instruction

Currently, Central Office and Special Services are located at Town Hall. Town Hall is home to many Town departments, but some are located in satellite offices because they cannot be accommodated in the current space at Town Hall. The Regional Probate Court is also is located at Town Hall, which has its own significant space needs. The overcrowding at Town Hall has also contributed to a lack of storage space as well as meeting/conference room space. 

The pandemic brought to light other issues within the Central Office due to a lack of social distancing due to overcrowding within our limited office space.  We will need to move out of Central Office no matter what due to overcrowding between the school district departments and the Town of Farmington departments which will require funding.  The use of the 900 wing is the most cost effective approach to fully maximize the space within the 900 wing.  This will avoid a costly purchase of a space for Central Office within Farmington or costly lease options.  

Q. HOW IS THE FHS BUILDING PROJECT PLANNING TO MITIGATE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD IMPACTS?

A. The FHS Building Committee has met twice with members of the neighborhood that immediately surround the current FHS site. The goal of those meetings was to present the site plan, construction timeline, and address questions and concerns. Communication with the surrounding neighborhood will continue throughout construction and the current plan includes the following strategies to address neighbor concerns:

  • Placement of the new building to allow for public access on the opposite side of the abutting neighborhood

  • Appropriate site and parking lot lighting 

  • Berm plantings along the property line that could be scheduled prior to construction

  • Easy and safe pedestrian access to the current FHS facility during construction

Q. What will the final outside and inside design look like? when will it be available for the community to see?

A. The design team is currently working on construction documents, which are required to be finalized before the project is put out to bid in fall 2022. Once these documents are complete, which is scheduled for Summer 2022, internal and external renderings will be updated and published on the FHSBC website.

Q. What are the planned on-site activities for 2022 summer and fall? (early enabling phase - prepping the site for construction of the new high school)

A. The Early Enabling Phase of the project is scheduled to begin in July 2022. This phase will consist of preliminary sitework, installing the construction fence for safety and security, and the construction of the temporary parking lot. The FHS Building Committee found value in completing these items over the summer before school starts, so there is no student disruption and new traffic patterns are established for the first day.

Q. How will access and other issues to the high school be addressed during the construction?

A. A construction fence will clearly separate the current high school facility from the building site. This fence will be installed as part of the Early Enabling Phase in Summer 2022. The current high school will continue to be occupied until construction is complete in 2024. Traffic patterns and parking will be modified as needed during construction.

A temporary parking lot will recuperate most, but not all, parking spots that are lost in the construction area and will be available for student parking and event parking. Student safety, ease of access, and smooth circulation are priorities for the FHS Building Committee, and the committee is working closely with Farmington High School staff and the Farmington Police Department to implement and communicate these changes to the community before the start of school.

Q. given that the cost and access to materials have risen, how has that affected the cost that was approved by the community in june 2021?

A. Throughout each phase of the FHS Building Project (schematic design, enhanced schematic design, design development, and construction documents), the professional partnership team conducts periodic cost estimates based on current and unpredictable materials and labor conditions. The professional partners (architects, construction team, and project managers) do their own cost estimates, then reconcile the differences to come up with an accurate estimate.

The FHS Building Committee then approves any value engineering (VE) that is required to bring the costs back to the original budget. This exercise was recently completed (July 2022) after the pricing set for construction documents was submitted. The updated cost estimate that was approved on July 6, 2022 is $525,023 below the original construction budget. More information regarding the budget and process can be found here.

Q. what is the status of Farmington’s reimbursement rate from the State of Connecticut?

A. In the 2022 Legislative Session, Farmington’s legislative delegation worked hard to increase Farmington’s reimbursement rate to 30% for both the new high school and the renovation of the “900 wing".” Our total expected reimbursement rate from the State of Connecticut is $40.6M which is $14.4M more than we anticipated we would receive at the time of our referendum in June 2021.

Q. Is there a date for the groundbreaking in the fall of 2022?

A. A groundbreaking ceremony is in the planning stages for October 2022, when the construction on the high school building is expected to begin. More information about the ceremony will be included in the Fall Newsletter.