By John McNamara
Renovations and expansion of the Stanley H. Holmes Elementary School on Stanley Street will be completed in the coming weeks.
Members of the School Building Committee toured the K-5 school on April 22 with Kamil Musical , Newfield Construction’s project manager, and School District staff members.
The Holmes School was built in 1956 and is undergoing its first major modernization at a projected cost of $70 million. State funds are meeting 95 percent of construction costs. It will be ready for the 2026-2027 year in the fall with faculty and students returning from the former John Paul II (Holy Cross) school that has served as its temporary home over the last two years.
The project adds a courtyard linking the original structure and a new, two-story wing and accessible playgrounds. Spaces for individualized learning and soundproof classrooms are part of the enhancements. Solar panels will make the school more energy efficient. The re-design will allow school busses to enter and exit from Stanley Street instead of using adjacent residential streets for traffic flow.
The SBC is moving forward with design and build phase of the Smith Elementary School as the city seeks 95 percent reimbursement from state school bonding funds.
The School Building Committee (SBC) meets Wednesdays on a monthly basis “to oversee school building projects authorized through bond funding as approved by the New Britain Common Council.” The SBC is a key decision maker in terms of capital expenditures in city government. Once plans are approved by the Common Council and Board of Education, the SBC “engages, selects, and enters into or continues all necessary contracts with contractors, architects, landscape architects, or engineers, and within the limits of the appropriations made by the council. ”
Ward 4 Alderman John McNamara is a Common Council Liaison to the School Building Committee. john.mcnamara@newbritainct.gov
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