WEATHERSFIELD SCHOOLS Additions near completion

Before- and after-school programs will be established if enough pupils sign up.
By MARY SMITH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
MINERAL RIDGE -- Dan Kiger, Weathersfield School District's building, grounds and transportation supervisor, told the board of education Wednesday the new sections of Seaborn Elementary School could open as early as Sept. 13.
The exact date of when the new additions will open depends on moisture tests being conducted by the carpet, vinyl and rubber flooring contractor.
Kiger said the district will wait for the correct temperature levels needed to install the floor coverings before the go-ahead is given.
If installers can begin Monday, which is also the first day of classes, the projected completion date is Sept. 13, when it will be opened for pupil use.
Original estimates had the opening date for the additions at mid-October.
Additional work
Construction bids came in lower than expected, allowing the following extra work, Kiger said:
UTwo additional inches of blacktop over a three-inch base for the driveway.
UCurbing, sidewalks and installation of handicapped-accessible entrances.
UAdded catch basins and a storm sewer in front to handle excess water from the back of the building caused by the project.
UGrass seeding around the new sidewalks.
UMulching the playground.
URepair of a pipe running under a section of sidewalk.
UProfessional painting of the cafeteria and library.
Kiger said Sept. 26 is Parent-Teacher night at the school and a tour of the new section is planned.
New furniture is on order.
An extra $33,000 left from the Seaborn project budget will be used to buy kitchen appliances and equipment at Seaborn, the middle school and the high school.
Report card score
Superintendent Rocco Adduci told the board the district has scored 19 out of a possible 22 on its State Report Card on state proficiency tests.
The board also learned a before- and after-school program will be established this year. The board asked formal approval from the state to set up a fund for it, but Adducci and board president Bruce Bacak cautioned the program must be self-sustaining.
"If we don't have the required number of students a Seaborn or the middle school, we won't have this program," Adduci said.
Parents will pay for it. The determining factor is how many pupils sign up.
Lisa Fauvrie was hired at $13.50 an hour Wednesday for the Seaborn program.