Region 15 Board of Education Newsletter

Volume 2, Issue 1, March 1, 2024

After a season-long, unintended displacement from their home pool, Region 15 invited the 2024 Class M champion PHS girls swim team to be the first students to jump into the new PHS pool on 12/4/24.

The replacement of the PHS pool didn't stop the girls PHS swim team from winning their third straight CIAC Class M championship this season on November 12. 

While the R15 Board of Education supported a tight timeline to renovate the PHS pool over the summer break, supply chain and contractor delays unfortunately delayed the pool's opening until early December.  The girls swim team had to hold practices and meets at an alternate pool.  The lack of a "home pool advantage" clearly did not stop the students in their pursuit of the championship!  The Board appreciates the athletes' patience, resilience, and sportsmanship.

Rather than keeping the pool closed into 2025 to allow full completion, the district took the decision to open the pool once all core renovation work was completed and it was safe to allow students into the pool. Any remaining work that does not impact access to the pool will continue. 

Sound-muting ceiling tile installation has been postponed until summer.

The new pool uses a Myrtha Pools lining, a stainless steel paneling that resists chemicals and corrosion.  The lining is modular, which permitted a faster renovation  -- even when including the delays -- without significant demolition.

The renovation of the PHS pool is a $4.6 million project funded by a voter-approved bond through which the district borrowed $11 million for various capital improvements.  The HVAC units that service the pool were also replaced, totaling $2+ million, half funded by state grant money. 

Following a full engineering study in September 2023, the PHS pool was found to be in significant need of: updates to the lighting and HVAC systems, repair of a failing pool liner, upgrade of a decades-old diving board and stand, replacement of the deck and drainage systems to prevent significant water drainage, and a full replacement of the old mechanical systems allowing for more energy efficiency, less chemicals, and cleaner water. The original plan for the pool was to repair just the deck and drainage issues, but further professional analysis indicated it would be more cost-effective in the long run to expand the project’s scope.

The previous pool was 40 years old and original to PHS.  As the old pool was demolished, it was indeed discovered to have deteriorated more than was visible. Any catastrophic or surprise failure would have potentially cost even more and resulted in longer downtime for the pool.

The pool project went out to bid with the expanded scope requirements. Four companies submitted bids in the range of $4-$6M. Project and bid documentation is available at https://www.region15.org/about-us/building-projects. Click on the PHS Pool button.

Pouring the past into the present. PHS senior Lillian Strickland pours water from the old pool into the new pool. According to PHS girls swim team assistant coach Jessica Clark, this gesture is meant to symbolize the continuity of the girls and boys swim team histories and traditions while honoring the legacy of previous teams and passing it on to future ones. New champions will rise, but the pool will always carry the spirit of those who came before!

pool photo credits: Jessica Clark

The Board invites the community to give their feedback. For more information please see https://www.region15.org/board-of-education/ges-pes

The committee recommended Newfield Construction as its construction manager.  Upon that recommendation and after interviewing the firm itself, the Board voted at its Dec 9th meeting to hire the firm.  This does not mean the committee or the Board has decided how to proceed or that renovation or construction is imminent!  

At its Oct 28th meeting the Board approved the hiring of Tecton Architects to conduct research to explore how to address the significant repairs needed at GES and PES.

After its analysis of existing building conditions, community input, projected enrollment, construction costs and state reimbursement options, Tecton will put forth various proposals this spring. Newfield will then provide cost estimates to any recommendations that come out of Tecton's work.

The Feasibility Committee will select a final proposal, making a recommendation to the Board on how to proceed. Should the Board vote to move forward any project, it may seek community funding in a May 2026 referendum.

The committee reviewed construction manager proposals and interviewed several candidates, as part of a sealed bid process, prior to making the recommendation.

The Board wanted to capture different points of view as the district embarks on what would be potentially the first construction project in 30 years. To that end, different stakeholder groups chose who would be on the committee to represent town, Board, teacher, administrative, and parent input. Many hours of service have been required thus far to review and discuss the bid proposals for both the architect and contraction manager. The Feasibility Committee members are:

Superintendet Smith and Board chair Marion Manzo pictured (far right) with some of the attendees at a legislative breakfast. Also shown is state representative from Southbury, Jason Buchsbaum (center).

Superintendent Smith and Board members Manzo, Marks, and Suriani attended a meeting on Dec 11th with other boards of education, superintendents, and local state representatives to network and share concerns with our elected representatives in Hartford.

In attendance were representatives from the Waterbury, Watertown, Naugatuck, and Region 16 school districts, as well as CT State Rep. Jason Buchsbaum (69th district), Rep. Bill Pizzuto (71st), Ron Napoli (73rd), and Sen. Joan Hartley (15th).

School districts alerted the representatives to how continuing declines in state reimbursement for special education costs wreak havoc in school budgets, and how the legislature passes too many unfunded mandates.  The legislators may pass laws with good intention but they need to see how laws impact districts on a practical level.  Districts hope that the legislators in attendance will reach out to superintendents and boards to understand the impact their votes have.

Districts prefer local control and explained how one-size-fits-all legislation can impact different districts both positively and negatively.

The meeting was hosted at Crosby High School in Waterbury and sponsored by the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education.

Board of Education meetings are Mondays at 7:30pm in the PHS Media Center unless indicated otherwise. Meetings can be watched live online. Click the YouTube logo to access the Board's live and recorded meeting videos.  

To email the entire Region 15 Board of Education: Region15BOE@Region15.org