The Cheshire Board of Education and Town Council are proposing a new 185,000 square foot facility at Cheshire Park to be the new Dodd Middle School.
On Wednesday night, Cheshire school leaders opened the doors to the middle school on Park Place to show taxpayers exactly why they believe a new building is necessary.
"Currently, right now, we cannot fit all our 7th and 8th graders, even one grade of 7th grade, into the cafeteria," Dodd Middle School Principal Michael Woods said. "A lot of these aging pieces we are having difficulty finding the parts for. ... We have some classrooms that are extremely hot and some classrooms that don't have heat at all."
According to the Board of Education, the building which would house sixth, seventh and eighth grade students has a $106 price tag and $70 million of that would be the responsibility of the town.
"It would be nice to get a new facility so this is something we can prepare our kids better for," Woods said.
Some critics want to know what would come from construction of a new building. Neighbors are also concerned what will happen to the old school building.
The board feels the issues outweigh the benefits and unanimously voted to move forward with the state grant application process.
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The town council will meet on June 27 to vote on the grant application and if it will go to referendum.
