Citing inflated costs, a majority of the Town Council voted not to move forward with a grant application to support renovations at the Middle School of Plainville this year. Town Council Chair Kathy Pugliese said that the project would have cost $58.7 million according to Construction Solutions Group, LLC due to the escalating costs of materials. There would have been a possibility for the state to reimburse up to 65.7 percent of the project. Wazorko said that he doubted that the project costs would go down within this time frame. However, with the state grant potentially offsetting it, he said that the project would be more like $24 million for the town. He said that the he felt that there could have been room to negotiate waivers to remove some renovation requirements, like changing the size of classrooms. LePage said that areas of concern with the Middle School of Plainville include a leaking roof, a state required HVAC upgrade and the lack of a secure vestibule at the school entrance. While the doors do lock, the building lacks the additional security that the town’s other schools have. The school gym, he said, is a “sweatbox” and he has received many complaints about it.
http://www.bristolpress.com/BP-Plainville+News/406522/plainville-votes-not-to-move-forward-with-grant-application-to-support-school-renovations