POMFRET — The Windsor Central Modified Unified Union School District board has approved spending up to $100,000 from this year’s budget for the first phase of mold remediation at the Prosper Valley School.
The Pomfret school, which served students in grades K-6 from both Pomfret and Bridgewater beginning in 2015, has been closed since last year due to mold. School officials previously have said repairs necessary to reopen the building will total more than $500,000.
The $100,000 board members approved comes from reserve funds, operations, hardware and software budget lines, according to minutes from the board’s Oct. 14 meeting. It is slated to be used for repairs to the school’s foundation and footing drains. At the same meeting, Bryce Sammel, a board member from Barnard, presented the School Configuration Committee’s recommendation for the future of the school.
The committee supported tabling Superintendent Mary Beth Banios’ September proposal to reopen Prosper Valley for pre-K programs and related offices after remediation is complete, according to draft minutes from the configuration committee’s Oct. 9 meeting. Instead, the committee seeks more time to gather input from those affected.
The committee also recommends including funds in next year’s budget to install and operate a new HVAC system at Prosper Valley and to install outdoor classroom space such as a yurt so that students can make better use of the campus’ trails and other outdoor features while the school remains closed.
The committee acknowledged that it is “unlikely” the building will be available for students next year.