Water, Park and School Bonding Proposed; Council Committee Special Meeting Called

The City Council’s Standing Bonding Subcommittee will hold a special meeting this week. On the agenda are three proposals for city capital projects.

One proposal is for $145,000,000 in bonding for a major renovation project at Smith Elementary School, a $9,800,000 project at Pulaski School and $2,700,000 at Slade School.

The $145,000,000 for the Smith School was authorized by the state legislature last year in legislation, co-sponsored by Rep Bobby Sanchez (D-25), that also provided the city is to be reimbursed for 95% of the project’s costs. The state legislation also required that the project include preschool facilities.

Another item proposes $40,900,000 in bonding for,

for the redevelopment of the water production wells at the New Britain White Bridge Waterworks Facility’s upper and lower well fields and Pond Pumping Station, including, but not limited to, constructing and developing a new Pond Pumping Station, treating groundwater and such other portions of the project as described in the “White Bridge Waterworks Facilities Upper and Lower Wellfields and Pond Pumping Station” Contract Documents currently dated December 2024 (the “Project”).

In addition, a $6,300,000 bonding proposal would go for four park projects, Willow Street Park Project for $1,625,000, Walnut Hill Park Paving Project for $1,625,000, Martha Hart Dredging Project for $1,100,000 and Willow Brook Park Paving Project for $1,950,000.

The meeting is to be on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 at 6:00pm in the Council Chambers in City Hall.