Former Town Councilman John Dempsey took exception to Board of Education Chairman Andrea Veilleux and schools Superintendent Dr. Janet Robinson saying that due diligence was lacking related to the Stratford High School renovation project, as reported in The Star Feb. 7.
“Due diligence was done, and I take great offense to that,” said Dempsey, who served on the council’s Building Needs Committee that was involved in the building project.
Dempsey said that when the question arose around 2009 and 2010, shortly after the country entered a deep economic recession, about possibly building a new school, he and his committee were told that was out of the question. School leaders and the Board of Education at the time did not ask for Dempsey’s committee to explore other potential sites for Stratford High School, he said.
Town Engineer John Casey agreed that due diligence was conducted for renovation and for education specs and accreditation. Tai Soo Kim architects completed a feasibility study for the town on the high school renovations with recommended improvements.
Due diligence was not done exploring other potential sites for a school, Casey said, because that was not the project specified from the Board of Education at the time.
Veilleux and Robinson agree that, with the renovation project delayed from its original timeline, questions from board members and school parents have recently been circulating around town about whether there is any alternative site in town suitable for a new school.
Veilleux said the decision to establish a new subcommittee to look at questions including potential other sites for a school was a collaborative one made on Jan. 30 between the Board of Education representatives and the town.
Editor’s note and correction: In last week’s report about the Stratford High School renovations (Feb. 7, page 1), comments attributed to Board of Education committee member Joe Crudo were deemed to be accurate, but Crudo was not at the Jan. 30 meeting between school officials and town officials as The Star reported.