6-g. Silver Petrucelli Feasibility Study Report 2024 0822.pdf
PDF 2 MB Posted
- Solicitation number
- 2026-49
- Issued by
- Fairfield County, Connecticut
About this file
This is a Feasibility Study Report prepared by Silver Petrucelli & Associates for the Town of Fairfield on behalf of Fairfield Public Schools regarding a proposed expansion of Dwight Elementary School located at 1600 Redding Road, Fairfield, Connecticut. The project proposes construction of a new approximately 75,000 square-foot building combining a new Early Childhood Center (ECC) addition and elementary school facility. The ECC program includes five classrooms with 24-student headcount capacity, administrative office space, conference room, speech room, social worker and psychologist offices, teacher of the deaf office, occupational and physical therapy room, and gymnasium space with 16-student headcount capacity. The existing Dwight Elementary School building would be demolished, with the new facility relocated to the top plateau of the site to address significant topography challenges involving approximately 80 feet of grade change. The project includes comprehensive site work featuring separate bus and parent pick-up/drop-off loops, reworked parking areas with retaining walls, and conversion of the existing school footprint into playing fields, playgrounds, and courts. A companion Construction Manager at Risk (CMR) solicitation indicates a selection schedule with qualifications due March 26, 2026, short-list announcement on April 7, 2026, proposals due April 20, 2026 (shortlist firms only), interviews on April 21, 2026, and CMR selection immediately following interviews.
The Opinion of Probable Cost estimates the total project cost at $74,721,770, comprising hard costs of $65,323,500 and soft costs of $9,398,270. Hard costs include construction of the 75,000-square-foot facility at $750 per square foot ($56,250,000), site work ($2,000,000), demolition of the existing building ($600,000), six percent project escalation for fiscal years 2025-2026 ($3,531,000), and five percent construction contingency ($2,942,500). Soft costs include six percent architectural and engineering professional services ($3,919,410), two percent contractor fee ($1,306,470), performance bonds, builders risk insurance, moving and relocation costs, furniture, fixtures, equipment and technology ($550,000), and five percent owner's contingency ($3,266,175). The project cost per square foot is estimated at $996. The feasibility study concludes that the project is feasible from a massing perspective and would be implemented in phases while the existing school remains operational, with site topography rework requiring regrading, excavation, and extensive retaining wall construction to accommodate maximum slopes of eight percent for commercial vehicles.
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Feasibility Study for Dwight Elementary School ECC Expansion
August 22, 2024
Feasibility Study Narrative Prepared for:
Fairfield Public Schools
Silver Petrucelli + Associates 3190 Whitney Avenue | Hamden CT 06518
311 State Street | New London CT 06320 203 230 9007 silverpetrucelli.com
Dwight Elementary School + ECC Expansion Page 1 Silver Petrucelli & Associates, Inc. ©
Preliminary Feasibility Study A first feasibility study of the Dwight Elementary School (Dwight Elementary) building, including code review, site analysis, & space planning aided in the design of the Early Childhood Center (ECC) addition as well as treatment of the existing building. Located on a difficult site both in circulation & in topography, the biggest design issue was trying to find a way to circulate parents & buses across a site with almost 80’-0” grade change. The ECC addition & new school site plan, which is found at the end of this report, proposes a +/- 15,000 SF ECC building that tie into a new +/- 60,000 SF elementary school. The new +/- 75,000 SF building has all the proposed program needed for an ECC along with the existing program of Dwight Elementary.
Design Drivers
Program – The design of the addition follows the needs of the ECC. The program consists of.
- 5 Classrooms (24 Student Headcount)
- Admin Office Space / Secretary main entrance
- Conference Room
- Speech Room
- Social Worker Office
- Psychologist Office
- Teacher of the Deaf Office
- OT / PT Room
- Gym Space (16 Student Headcount)
Along with the programmatic needs of the ECC, we also looked at the programmatic needs of Dwight Elementary from a top-down perspective. The program consists of.
- Admin Block
- Classroom Wing
- Gymnasium
- Cafeteria
The spaces were then laid out with adjacencies in mind, such as providing a separate main entry & drop off loop for the ECC, centrally found admin block that signifies entry to elementary school, & direct adjacencies of cafeteria & gym with the idea these spaces can become the auditorium.
Site Setbacks – The current use group of the building is E, Educational. The school, located at 1600 Redding Road, Fairfield, CT 06825, sits within an AAA- Zone. Placing the new buildings on site proved to be feasible. According to the Town of Fairfield’s Zoning Regulations, the minimum setbacks in an AAA zone consists of.
- 30 FT from the Side Line
- 50 FT from the Rear Line
The proposed building conforms to the Town of Fairfield’s Zoning Regulations.
Dwight Elementary School + ECC Expansion Page 2
Site Contours – The biggest design driver of the Dwight Elementary feasibility study is making the site topography work. When first looking at the existing school, it was immediately discovered that proposing an ECC addition to it would be unfeasible. There are several grade changes in the school & the proximity to lot lines meant an addition would not work. We then looked at other open spaces on site. The most appropriate place for the new proposed building is the top fields, where the site is flat. This made the most sense, as the site contours sloped up close to 80’-0” from street level. With the placement of the new school on the top plateau, the next issue is circulating buses & parents up & down. This requires a massive rework of the site topography, consisting of regrading, excavating, & use of retaining walls. A rework of grades is to provide a maximum slope of 8% for commercial vehicles.
Between the two loops seen on the proposed site plan are parking lots that run parallel with the site contours. These lots will be stepped & will require retaining walls at each level. Stairs located in the middle of each parking lot will connect people from the intermediate space on site to the top plateau.
The site contours work to the new building’s advantage when speaking about wastewater management. Using gravity to its benefit, the building can continue to use a septic tank & spill out to the existing leaching field at the entrance to the site, near the tennis courts.
Separation of Parent & Bus Pick-Up / Drop-Off – Equally important as the building, is the site circulation. Right now, there is a separate bus loop from visitors during specific times during the day, as seen in the photo below.
This concept, which works for the existing school, is reworked in the newly proposed building. At the entry to the site, you are faced with two ways to go. To the left, buses will go up to the bus
Dwight Elementary School + ECC Expansion Page 3 loop of the new school. To the right, parents & visitors will go up to the parking lot & Drop-Off / Pick-Up loop for the ECC. The parents drive cuts through the existing school building.
Creating this separation of parent & buses is crucial to the success of the site from a logistical perspective as well as a safety measure. The new building proposes a bus loop on one side of the building, and a parent loop on the opposite side.
Existing School Footprint – As previously stated, it was proven at the beginning of the feasibility study that keeping the existing school footprint & designing an ECC addition would be unfeasible. Because of this, the existing school will be demolished, site to be flattened, & the school to be moved to the top plateau. The existing site will then become a place for playing fields, playgrounds, & playing courts. This relocation adds more park features to the site, along with the already existing tennis courts, walking trails, & playgrounds.
The form of the new proposed building is preliminary & will need to be further investigated. This form will provide outdoor spaces for classrooms, interior courtyard space, & intriguing moments for the children of Fairfield to enjoy.
Project Costs – Looking from a top-down view of Dwight Elementary Feasibility, a +/- 75,000 SF would cost around $74,721,770 after soft costs. This is looking at the average means of construction & would encompass the construction of the new school & ECC along the required site work that would be needed. The work that would be needed to perform this addition would be.
- Rework of existing parking lot to accommodate separate bus & parent loops
- Demolition of existing school building
- Sitework needed, including excavating, regrading & retaining walls.
- Paving of new parking lot
- Excavating needed for foundation slab.
- Construction of proposed building
- Rework of existing outdoor play areas to accommodate new building & ECC
- Rework required for wastewater management.
Conclusion – In conclusion, the +/- 75,000 SF addition at Dwight Elementary School would be possible from a massing perspective. This is a massive project that, in phases, would involve the construction of the new facility while the existing school stays in operation. After construction is complete, the complete demolition of the existing school & a complete rework of the site’s topography will be undertaken. The reintroduction of the playing fields & courts on the middle level of the site will take the place of the existing school & will provide a park-like experience for the Town of Fairfield.
Opinion of Probable Cost Fairfield Public Schools
75,000 Per SF Cost Total
Construction Cost - School & Additions (75,000 SF) 750.00$ 56,250,000$ Early Childcare Center / New Elementary School
Construction Cost - Site Work 2,000,000$ Paving New Lots / Rework Wastewater Management / Site Grading
Construction Cost - Demo Work 600,000$ Demo of Existing School Building
Sub-total Project Costs 58,850,000$ Project Escalation 6% per yr (FY25/26) 3,531,000$
Construction Contingency 5% 2,942,500$ Total Construction Costs 65,323,500$
A&E Professional Services 6% 3,919,410$ Contractor Fee 2% 1,306,470$
Performance Bonds 248,229$ Builders Risk Insurance 97,985$
Moving & Relocation Costs 10,000$ Furniture, Fixtures, Equipment and Technology 550,000$
Owner's Contingency 5% 3,266,175$
Total Project Soft Costs 9,398,270$ Grand Total of Project Costs 74,721,770$
Project Cost Per SF 996$
Notes:
1 Does not include costs for playground equipment
Project Hard Costs Dwight Elementary School + ECC Addition
Project Soft Costs
| Design Drivers |
| Cost Estimate_Dwight.pdf |
| Executive Summary |
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