Public Meeting Addresses Crumbling Foundation at Tolland School

Taxpayers in Tolland had the chance to learn more about the growing crumbling foundations emergency at Birch Grove Primary School at a meeting Wednesday night.

While officials say there are no immediate safety concerns, the failure of the concrete in the school is imminent. Cracks can be seen inside and out, which is why the district says the school will shut down at the end of the year.

“To lose that is devastating.”

For Katie Murray, news that the school her two children currently attend will need to shut down and be torn down is tough to here, but she knows it needs to be done.

“We want to make sure our kids are safe,” she said.

“We know there's a problem. It's clearly getting worse and these are precious children. We're not going to take any chances with that,” Tolland Public Schools Superintendent Walter Willett said.

The district hired an engineering firm to test the concrete and a report delivered to town leaders in January said the school foundation had substantial cracking from the presence of pyrrhotite in the concrete

At Wednesday’s public meeting Tolland neighbors came out to learn more about the situation.

“It's something we got to deal with it's here it's not going to go away by itself and we just got to get the best info and deal with it accordingly,” Tolland resident Rick Duffy said.

At the meeting experts on the state and local level answered questions about construction costs and timing.

The process to construct a school typically takes at least four years but because it’s been deemed an emergency it’s expected to take half that – completed by 2021.

The state has agreed to pay 52 percent of the $46 million cost, with the rest landing on the town.

Officials say they’ll look to lower costs wherever they can.

“Rest assured we will watch our money. Ours collectively,” said Kosta Diamantis, the director of the Office of School Construction Grants.

Birch Grove students will be moved to portables when the school closes at the end of the school year. While it’s not ideal, parents say they understand why.

“It's not going to be the same but this is what we have to do to keep everyone safe so that's what we'll do,” Murray said.

Congressman Joe Courtney is working to get federal funds to help with construction of schools impacted by crumbling foundations. The town will need to approve a $46 million bond, though they will be reimbursed some of that.

There’s a public hearing on it April 9, and the referendum vote for the down is expected to happen May 7.