ANSONIA – About two dozen members of the public showed up to a meeting Sept. 30 to help set a vision for what Ansonia’s new middle school could look like.
Tecton Architects, the architectural and engineering services firm overseeing the middle school project, arranged the meeting to gather community input as the firm sets out on creating a design for the $100 million middle school construction project.
The project was approved by voters in a 2023 referendum, and the city purchased land for the school at 64 – 78 Pulaski Highway last year. The goal is to open a new school to replace the aging middle school on Howard Avenue in fall 2029.
The objective of the Sept. 30 meeting, held in the Ansonia High School library, was to set goals for the firm to work toward as it designs the school, according to Justin Hopkins, a principal at Tecton who led part of the discussion.
“Part of tonight is making sure that we get help from the community to understand what the building wants to be,” Hopkins said.
Members of the public in attendance included school administrators, elected officials and community members. Throughout the evening, speakers suggested ways the building could create an ideal learning environment for students – from allowing lots of natural light in, to building entrances that are safe and secure without feeling hostile.
Multiple speakers said the building should inspire a sense of town pride in students.
The school should allow kids “to be able to be proud to say that they’re an Ansonia student,” according to Diane Stroman, a former executive vice president at TEAM, Inc. who now serves on the tax board.
Stroman suggested featuring elements of Ansonia’s history in murals throughout the school. She said designers could look to murals that currently exist at Mead Elementary School for inspiration.
Alderwoman Anne Lynch said the building should take advantage of natural light where possible, and that it should take advantage of the school’s location in what are currently woodlands.
“Let’s bring the outside in, bring in the light. Overall, we want to make the kids think this place is cool, and we want them to come and learn,” Lynch said.
During one segment of the meeting, attendees were asked to create “vision boards” with images they found inspiring.
Beverly Tidmarsh, the chairwoman of the school building commission, included images of Ansonia history including the clock factory and the American Brass Company building, saying that these were pieces of local history students could learn about through the new building. She also included a photo of the Barnum School in Cheshire – also designed by Tecton – as an example of a school built on rural land.
Company representatives also gave an update on the project’s progress as part of the meeting. Hopkins said that the company is currently navigating how it plans to work around wetlands on the property, and that the design phase will stretch through much of the next year. He said the goal is to put the project out to bid for construction in late 2027.
The update also included three design sketches for different directions the project could take. Those designs were:
- “Heritage” – a design focused on ways to spotlight Ansonia’s history as the Copper City
- “Ecology” – a design centered around the building’s location on woodlands
- “Campus” – a design focused on town pride, with an emphasis on sports and connections to the high school nearby
The “ecology” and “campus” designs shown were both for two-story buildings, while the “heritage” design would be a three-story building, with separate floors for sixth, seventh and eighth grade classrooms.
No decision was made on those design sketches during the meeting.
Toward the end, there was a discussion between community members and company officials about future meetings and where they could be held. Suggested locations included the Armory on State Street and the senior center on Main Street.
A new meeting has not yet been scheduled as of Oct. 1.
Another way for the public to get updates and provide input on the middle school project is through school building commission meetings. Those meetings are typically on the third Thursday of each month. Check the city website for the most up-to-date info.
