FAIRFIELD – For Christine Vitale, her appearance Monday morning at Dwight Elementary School was an emotional one. Not only did it serve as the site for the biggest school construction project in her first year as first selectperson. The school’s gym was the place where her political career began.
“Being in this room is sort of surreal for me because I first decided to run for public office right here in this room,” Vitale said. “And my kids went here for almost 20 years. Sitting in this room with the roof leaking, the pipes in the bathroom not so sure and talks of closing the school and not putting any money in the school, there have been decades of conversations about the future of Dwight.”
The former Dwight mom was joined by Gov. Ned Lamont, state Reps. Jennifer Leeper, Cristin McCarthy Vahey and Sarah Keitt of Fairfield, school Superintendent Mike Testani, Principal Mimi Maniscalco, members of the Board of Education and PTA Co-Presidents Justine Benisch and Samantha Somero.
They announced state funding that could amount to nearly $57.2 million of the $78.2 million needed to rebuild Dwight Elementary, a school that was built in 1962. The money is made available through the School Construction Grant program where the state provides reimbursements between 20% and 80% of a project to a municipality that qualifies.
For the Dwight school project, the state has agreed to provide 75% of the $78.2 million costs for building a new school complete with dedicated space for early learning centers and special education as well better air quality and upgrades that are up to code with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other state and federal building regulations.
“For many years, there was concern about indoor air quality,” said Vitale, whose children attended Dwight. “It was too hot. It was too cold. Every once in a while there was an odor. There were concerns about a failing septic system.”
She understands the enormity of the money being spent and how it could potentially affect the timeline for other town projects. The construction is due to be completed by 2029, although no groundbreaking has been scheduled yet.
“This is a very large capital investment,” Vitale said. “In order to move this project forward, other capital needs had to be pushed back a little bit. We knew we would be getting some state reimbursement, we just didn’t how much. When we found it was large amount, we were ecstatic. It’s a day to look to the future. Our state reps raised their voices, and the governor listened and acted.”
The new school will be built on the field behind the existing building. The current school will be torn down once the new facility is ready.
Lamont, whose administration has led the way for an additional $320 million into Connecticut’s recently established Early Childhood Education Endowment , said “Fairfield gets it right” when referring to the town’s prioritizing education.
“If you think about how this facility will be (built) and be at a nearby location, the kids who will be here will have a chance to see how the new facility is being rebuilt and how the world has changed since 1962,” the governor said. “We’re making the biggest investment in early childhood education the state has ever seen. The new Dwight is going to anticipate that by having facilities right here for Pre-K and others to make sure you get the very best head start in life.”
For state Rep. Keitt, who represents district that includes Dwight, the announcement of the state funding has been a long time coming.
“When first elected, I made rebuilding Dwight a priority,” she said. “It’s always a wonderful experience to say you’ve (accomplished) something. I was able to deliver on that promise by working with representatives of the governor’s office, the principal, the superintendent, the PTA, all who did the heavy lifting to get this off the ground.”
State Rep. Leeper reiterated just how long it took for public officials to raise their voices enough to push the funding through the legislature.
“I am joyful to celebrate an increased reimbursement rate for the rebuild of the Dwight Elementary School, a project that has been in consideration for this work for two decades,” Leeper said. “When I was on the Board of Ed, we were talking about the prioritization of Dwight needed this work and year after year we would get bumped from the list.”
Keitt summed up the need for updating the outdated elementary school in two sentences.
“It was built in a different century for a different educational model,” she said. “This new build will be a state-of-the-art learning environment that will be a healthy learning environment.”
