SEYMOUR – Residents will head to the polls Oct. 9 to vote on whether to build a new Bungay Elementary School.

The polls are scheduled to be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Seymour Community Center, 20 Pine St. They will be asked to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the following question:

“Shall the Town of Seymour appropriate $60,000,000 for the construction of a new Bungay Elementary School and finance the appropriation by issuing the town’s bonds or notes in an amount not to exceed $20,000,000?”

A new school is estimated to cost about $60 million, with the town’s share being about $20 million after state reimbursement, according to town officials.

Prior to the Oct. 9 referendum, a special town meeting will be held 6:30 p.m. Sept. 16 at Seymour Town Hall, 1 First St.

“The town meeting scheduled for September 16 will provide an opportunity for the building committee, the First Selectwoman and town officials to provide details about the project and answer questions,” said Fred Stanek, a selectman and chairman of the Bungay School Building Committee.

Getting The Word Out

A grassroots community group, the Bungay School Rebuild Alliance, was formed last year to advocate for a new school.

The group has several upcoming events planned, including two walkthroughs of Bungay School, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 24 and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29.

Community Zoom information sessions are also planned for Oct. 2 and Oct. 7. Details with Zoom log-in information will be posted on the group’s website and Facebook page.

“We’re trying to give the public every opportunity to learn about the project,” said Rebecca Bennett, who started the Bungay School Rebuild Alliance.

Bennett is also the school district’s head nurse and a member of the Bungay School Building Committee.

She said the current school is some 70 years old.

“While it’s wonderful and the atmosphere is great, there are a lot of things that need to be done to make it the 21st century learning facility that the students and staff deserve.”

The Selectpersons voted last December to send the project to a referendum.

The estimated project cost given at that time was about $58.1 million with the town’s share estimated at about $24 million after state reimbursement. Town officials said the updated $60 million estimate takes into account things like insurance costs, attorney and underwriting fees.

The School

Bungay School, located at 35 Bungay Road currently houses about 450 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The school was built in 1954 and was last renovated in 1996 with the addition of a first-grade classroom wing.

Two committees – first a ​“Bungay School Facility Needs Study Committee” and then the ​“Bungay Elementary School Building Committee” – spent more than a year detailing infrastructure issues at the school and studying the best route to take to address those issues.

The​“facility needs” committee pointed out Bungay has its original windows, bathrooms and flooring. Its cooling system can’t keep up when temperatures rise. The building lacks air conditioning in the gymnasium and is also short on storage and parking.

A shared exit for buses and student-drop off causes backups on Bungay Road. Click here for a previous story.

Bennett said she uses foam pool noodles at the base of the windows in her office at Bungay to help prevent rain and snow from getting in.

According to conceptual plans created by architect firm Antinozzi Associates, a new, split-level school would be built on the campus at 35 Bungay Rd. The existing school would be demolished. A new softball field and multi-purpose field would be built on the existing school footprint. There would also be separate areas for bus drop-offs and parent drop-offs.

The new school would be built where the playing fields are now.