The Wilton Public Schools are celebrating the completion of renovations at Miller-Driscoll Elementary School by opening the school for community members to tour the building. Officials are inviting residents on two dates to visit the school for tours led by school staff and members of the PTA.
The first date is Thursday, Oct. 12 from 5-7 p.m.; it will be followed at 7:15 p.m. by the Board of Education meeting, which has been moved to the Miller-Driscoll multi-purpose room for the evening. The second date open to residents is Saturday, Nov. 18 from 9-11 a.m..
The building renovation project began in the summer of 2015 as portable classrooms were installed to provide classroom swing space during the renovation. The project is almost completely finished: students and faculty started the 2017-2018 school year fully installed in the building, four months ahead of the original projected completion date. Final completion of all work, including grounds, landscaping and punch lists, is scheduled to occur before the end of 2017. A fuller description of the improvements and changes made to the building can be found on the Miller-Driscoll Building Committee website.
The project was originally estimated to cost $50,000,000–of that the state was expected to reimburse a little more than $6 million, for a net cost to the town of approximately $44 million.
As of September 2017, the Miller Driscoll Building Committee reports that the project has come in significantly under budget as well. Total estimated costs are $43.3 million, of which the town will likely be responsible for $36.2 million and the state will reimburse an estimated $7.14 million. The town has already received two payments totaling $6,768,225; the final total is subject to a State audit once the project is completely finished.