The Groton CSD completed its mandatory Five Year Building Conditions survey in July of 2020. From that study, the district has been working with architects, construction managers, and stakeholder groups to best determine what infrastructure on the school district campuses needs to be repaired/maintained/upgraded to maintain our facilities as well as the safety of all of our faculty, staff and students. As a result of several discussions with stakeholder groups for both Ross Field Renovations, as well as a GES Science Learning Center, the district has worked with architects, construction managers, and the Board of Education to build project proposal that will address three key aspects of work:

• Updating infrastructure within both GES and the JrSr High, as well as the bus garage. Included in this work is a new roof at the bus garage, replacement to worn paved areas in various parking lots and sidewalks, and such interior work as replacements to aging water lines, upgrades to alarm systems on boilers and food service refrigerators.

• Update athletic fields, namely Ross Field and the Baseball Field at GES. This part of the project includes putting in necessary drainage at Ross Field to allow for regular use of the facility even when the weather doesn't cooperate, leveling the playing surface at Ross Field so that we are providing our athletes and those from visiting schools a safe, all-purpose turf playing surface, and updating the outbuildings on site, to include a new concession stand and restroom facility, as well as a new press box.

• Renovation of the basement at GES into a science learning center that will afford the space necessary to promote project-base learning in the sciences for our youngest learners. Please keep in mind the primary driver behind this portion of the project --- to build a passion for science in our elementary age students. The District recognizes that building an avid interest in the sciences dos not begin when a student is in junior high. By then, it is too late. A love for science and problem-solving has to begin much sooner in a child's academic career. Recognizing this program can become the feeder program to both the STEAM learning center, as well as to marketable careers in the areas of science, technology, engineering, art and math, the district is proposing remodeling a portion of the second grade wing to make a larger, science lab space where students can experiment with larger scale projects without interfering with other learning going on in the general education classrooms of students K-5.

Because the BOE has been planning this project for the past several years, they have build enough of a reserve that the cost of this project will come at NO additional cost to the tax payer. Please be checking back on this site over the next several weeks as we will be updating it with design layouts for Ross Field, as well as more detailed information on the scope of the work to be done.