WEST HARTFORD, CT — Major renovations at one West Hartford school require utilizing a temporary classroom addition, which was officially approved last week by local zoning officials.
The West Hartford Plan and Zoning Commission voted 5-0 on Sept. 4 in favor of a temporary special use permit for the local school system to operate a 5,000-square-foot, temporary classroom building at Duffy Elementary School, 95 Westminster Drive, West hartford.
According to West Hartford School System Manager of Maintenance Services Michael Longo, the new building is necessary as school officials conduct a window/ventilation refurb at Duffy.
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“This project involves replacing all classroom windows, replacing the existing central exhaust system serving classrooms and corridors with a Dedicated Outdoor Air System (DOAS), and installing a new variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system to providing air conditioning in classrooms and serve as the school primary heating system, leaving the existing natural gas boiler and perimeter radiation in place as backup,” wrote Longo in the project narrative submitted to the town.
Completely installing these systems in the school is expected to take two years, with the modular addition necessary this year for the school’s second-grade, Longo said.
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“The school currently does not have adequate ‘swing’ space to house students that will be displaced during construction,” Longo said.
The modular was, actually, installed on the site Aug. 7 and it is expected to be there through Aug. 31, 2025.
It’s been in use since school started on Aug. 28, but the permit approval was a necessary step to make the process official.
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The PZC easily approved the permit with some standard conditions regarding parking, trash/recycling capabilities and property impacts.
For the minutes of the Sept. 4 West Hartford Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, click on this link.
For the full project narrative submitted to the West Hartford PZC, click on this link.
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