With the first day of a new school year for Wilton Public Schools happening in just one week, students returning to Middlebrook School will be greeted with refreshed classrooms, updated infrastructure and a renewed sense of energy — all the result of carefully planned and executed summer improvement projects.
Superintendent Dr. Kevin Smith gave GOOD Morning Wilton a preview of the transformed spaces, pointing out the impact of both large-scale infrastructure upgrades and forward-thinking educational investments — and where cooperation between Town and School personnel helped reduce overall costs so that any savings can be reinvested in additional improvements.
Middlebrook School: Bright, Efficient and Built for the Future
The improvements at Middlebrook School’s Peterson Wing — funded through $1.646 million in bonding that was approved at last May’s Annual Town Meeting — are immediately apparent the moment a visitor walks into the newly renovated interior.
Gone is the outdated, moisture-prone carpeting. In its place, sleek and durable LVT flooring stretches from main entrance lobby to classrooms to corridors, offering a cleaner, healthier and more modern look.
“There was carpet on every inch except the cafeteria and the science classrooms,” Smith explained. “We were always dealing with moisture issues in the floor, especially after major rainstorms.”
The upgrades didn’t stop at the surface. Beneath the floors, epoxy and vapor barriers have been installed to combat chronic moisture issues. Above, new LED lighting casts a bright, welcoming glow that replaces the previously dim, outdated fixtures.
Standing on the stairwell looking down on the wide open lobby — now bright, freshly painted white and with new flooring — Smith beamed at how clean, modern and new everything looks.
“Isn’t it amazing? For years, my favorite place in the district has been the media center at Cider Mill School, and standing at the top of this foyer and looking down at the entryway, this is now top one or two, it’s just so bright and gorgeous,” he said.
Throughout the hallways, classrooms and public spaces in Middlebrook’s Peterson Wing, fresh paint and new ceiling grids complete the refreshed atmosphere, along with improvements to the HVAC system. New unit ventilators have been installed in the classrooms, and most of the work has been completed, although some HVAC work will have to be postponed until a new rooftop unit arrives later in the fall.
While that timing means that part of the school won’t have air conditioning to start the year, Smith said they’ve temporarily put portable AC units in every classroom to keep things as cool as possible until the system can be completed.
The project also featured impressive cost savings. According to Smith, Wilton Schools Supervisor of Custodial and Maintenance Work Jose Figueroa and DPW Director Frank Smeriglio on the Town side have been working to closely manage spending and schedule work crews efficiently. Smith said they were able to have a lot of the work done in-house, including by Wilton’s HVAC, electrical and painting crews.
“By not contracting all the work out, we saved north of half a million dollars,” Smith shared.
The vendors and town employees have also been working efficiently and fast, from HVAC, electrical, painters, flooring crews and more. The pace was intense, especially with the deadline of teachers arriving back in the building on Monday, Aug. 18 and Meet the Teachers being held on Wednesday, Aug. 20.
The Middlebrook bonding project originally was set to cover just the Peterson Wing of the building. But with the savings that were achieved, coupled with how quickly the project was able to completed, Smith said the district may be able to extend the work into the other side of the building with the “Green” wing more immediately.
“The company we worked with, the experience was remarkable. They were fast, and we learned almost immediately they could accomplish a lot more in a short period of time than we anticipated,” Smith said.
“We have bond funds available right now,” Smith said. “So we’re going to put together a plan to continue this work during the school year.” That means similar improvements will likely be made to the “green” wing, timed during school breaks or other creative ways.
Another bright spot? Where six months ago there was friction between school personnel and the Town’s Department of Public Works/engineering staff, everyone worked hard together to improve communication and cooperation. Smith specifically thanked Director of Public Works/Town Engineer Frank Smeriglio, Assistant Director of Public Works/Facilities Manager Jeff Pardo and Construction Coordinator/Inspector Will Cushman in Wilton’s DPW.
“We had very strong communication all summer [and] weekly meetings with robust information sharing [that] made all the difference,” Smith said.
Smith lauded Figueroa and other school facilities employees including Lou Gonzalez, Murillo Franco, Keith Mercer and Perrin Markay for contributing toward making the project successful. He also mentioned Wilton’s Chief Building Official Mark Lawrence, who visited the building every day, sometimes multiple times a day, inspecting at each step to clear rooms so furniture could be moved back in.
There’s also been forethought in planning and purchasing to save money on future infrastructure projects in the district.
“Every room is going to have the same flooring, [paint and fixture] coloring, ceilings, and lighting and it’ll roll through the district as we’re doing this work,” Smith said. “We’re just trying to standardize in all the ways that that makes sense, so when you know you have to do a flooring repair or painting, you’ve got ready stock on hand.”
Benefits for Students and Teachers
Smith emphasized that these renovations are about more than aesthetics — they reflect a commitment to respect and care for both students and staff, especially following past moisture problems at Middlebrook.
“They deserve to have a space that’s respectful, not leaking, no stains and healthy,” he said.
One teacher echoed those thoughts anticipating the impact the refreshed environment could have on learning and belonging.
“it’s just amazing. Everything’s been touched, everything’s been renewed. And it just feels like there’s a lot new energy in the building that’s gonna be really good to bring the kids into and help get us going for the beginning of the year,” Middlebrook teacher Michael Panoli said.
“At the most basic level, having a clean, new building — they’re going to respect it more,” he added. “They’re going to appreciate that. They’re going to know that there’s been care from the community.”
As Wilton officials continue to move forward analyzing what infrastructure work is needed in all its town-owned buildings, Smith said this project has provided a lot of useful information toward that effort.
“We’ve learned a lot in terms of, when we come into a space, what are the considerations we need, to be openminded as we really go through so we don’t miss anything, the ideas we want to do and then be done with it for 20 or 25 years,” Smith said.
To that end, he’s convening a long-range planning session in early September dedicated just to facilities, and working with educational and architectural consultants for input.
“Let’s really craft a vision that people can see and understand, rather than get into these granular conversations about a chiller here, and a floor someplace else and a toilet someplace else. Let’s really think more comprehensively, take that information, put it together, and then deliver that to the town facilities committee [Wilton Capital Planning Committee] as we’re getting deeper into talks about what’s next and where we dedicate funds to continue the journey of rehabbing these buildings.”