Out With the Old, In With the New
by Nancy Wood
March 11, 2010, page 7

The original CCS school building – the concrete-block monolith that looms behind the newer sections of the school – will be razed to the basement and replaced with a smaller, more energy efficient structure. Based on the recommendation of the Construction Committee, the School Board made the decision to build a new structure rather than renovating the old at a special meeting on February 15.

The old building was built in 1949 when Charlotte’s 14 or so school districts decided to give up the historic one-room school houses and merge into one central school – thus the name, Charlotte Central School. It was placed next to the “new” Town Hall, built in 1939.

For many years students walked outside from school to Town Hall for lunch in the downstairs cafeteria (where it is today) and for physical education upstairs in the gym (today’s library). The stage in the gym did double duty as performance space for students and platform for Town Meeting, similar to the uses in the new multi-purpose room. The Town Clerk’s office was by the front door, handy for paying property taxes.

The project cost estimate for new construction is $17,000-$63,000 over the $2.8 million voted, but the Construction Committee expects that it can be reduced to stay within budget.

Anticipated benefits of the new construction include easier management of owner’s contingency, easier operations and staff use, and best value for taxpayers. The old building will be torn down, leaving the existing boiler room. The plan includes aligning floors with existing 1969 and 1999 buildings so chair lifts will no longer be required.

Two 4th-grade classrooms, special education and specialist spaces for lower grades would be on the first floor. Two 6th-grade classrooms, offices, special education and specialist spaces for upper grades would be on the second level. The new building would be approximately 3,000 square feet smaller than the old.

The project is expected to go out to bid in May. Construction would start after school ends in June, with completion slated for May of 2011.