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Greenwich High Auditorium Project Gets Green Light

Greenwich High School will get its new auditorium after the Representative Town Meeting approved $17 million in funding Tuesday night for the $29 million project as part of the town’s $358 million budget.

The project is a new design for the renovation of the school’s Music Instructional Space and Auditorium project, which adds a choral room to the existing music space, creates a new building at the site of the current auditorium and builds a new auditorium with a galleria and 1,325 seats. It also calls for modifications to the site to improve traffic flow, including widening lanes and extending the west parking lot.

The plan had come under fire with some saying it was too expensive. Supporters said the existing facility’s acoustics and seating were inadequate. The school's current auditorium has 860 seats for a school population of 2,700.

First Selectman Peter Tesei had made a deal with town Republicans in late March to delay construction on a new central fire station until 2014 to spread the cost of the project over the next two years to gain approval from the Board of Estimate and Taxation.

The approval will cause the town’s debt to rise from $89 million to $105 million as a result of $32.6 million in borrowing for the auditorium and other town projects. Local property taxes are slated to rise 2.87 percent for the upcoming fiscal year beginning July 1. 

What’s your reaction to the approval of the auditorium project? Comment below or send responses to ahelhoski@mainstreetconnect.us

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