With a small turnout and divided opinions at the town meeting Monday night, there was no clear signal of how Farmington will vote at next week’s referendum on budgeting another $9.4 million for the new high school. Either way, it became clear in October that Farmington cannot replace its high school for $135.6 million, the figure that was forecast in early 2021. Instead, building the 239,000-square-foot school will cost nearly $6 million more. The town is asking voters on Dec. 8 to appropriate another $9.7 million for the project. The new money wouldn’t come from Farmington’s budget. The state awarded an unexpected $14 million in additional aid since the 2021 referendum. Project planners said the October construction bids will lock in the price of actually building the 239,000-square-foot school. Buying furniture, equipment, and plumbing and electrical fixtures will be done later, but there’s a contingency to cover cost increases for that, they said.
https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-connecticut-farmington-town-meeting-20221130-3scw7uwqebf2pkl4llci34vwxi-story.html