Comprehensive FHS
Menu
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Voting Information
    • Can I Vote?
    • How Do I Vote?
    • How Do I Register to Vote?
    • How Can I Vote Absentee?
    • Where Do I Vote?
    • When Do We Vote?
  • Results
    • Hartford Courant Article
  • Project Information
    • Comprehensive FHS Videos
    • Project Overview Video
    • The Current Facility is Failing
    • Why We Must Act
    • Proposed New FHS facility
    • Project Site Mirror [November 2022]
    • Official Project Site [current, with information redacted]
  • FAQs
  • Letters
Menu

What other options did the FHS Building Committee consider?

The FHS Building Committee reviewed several options did address the budget shortfall before finally deciding to ask for a budget increase through a referendum. The Committee evaluated the pros, cons, and risks of three options (including a referendum):

Option 1: Use money allocated for contingency and/or Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment (referred to as FF&E) to cover the increased construction costs.

The FHS Building Committee concluded that using the contingency fund at the very beginning of the project, before any actual construction had occurred, was not financially prudent. Doing so would not allow the Committee to address any unforeseen problems or challenges that may arise during construction. In addition, any funds used from the FF&E budget would need to be replaced by the Town’s Capital Budget and would not receive the 30% reimbursement from the State. The Committee concluded that this option was not a responsible use of the FHS building project’s or the Town’s money.

Option 2: Further reduce the scope of the project, in addition to the $9.4 million the Committee had already cut out of the budget through several rounds of cost cutting.

Anticipating a higher-than-estimated escalation in construction costs, the FHS Building Committee began looking at ways earlier this year to reduce costs without impacting educational programming. The Committee went through several rounds of cost reductions (called value engineering) and cut $9.4 million out of the project. The Committee also identified another $3.7 million in alternates to be added back into the project if bidding was favorable. Any additional items cut from the project would need to be included in the Town’s Capital Budget in the coming years with no State reimbursement, making these items more expensive to the Town. The FHS Building Committee determined this option was high risk to the project due to the impact on educational programming and long-term costs. 

Option 3: Referendum to increase the project budget to cover higher construction costs.

The FHS Building Committee determined that another referendum could cover the budget shortfall, utilizing the additional State funding, and allow for alternates to be included. This would bring the project back into scope of what was approved at the June 2021 referendum. Nothing extra would be included in the project; the FHS facility would be completed just as it was originally presented to the community and approved by voters in 2021.



Take Action:

  • Find out how and where to vote
  • Inform yourself with our Quick Reference Guide
  • Encourage your friends and neighbors to vote YES
  • Visit our mirrored information from the FHS Building Project Website (from before the quiet period) and review the official information about the project and this referendum.
  • VOTE YES
Vote on December 8, 2022

Learn More:

  • Comprehensive FHS Quick Reference Guide
  • Comprehensive FHS Video Series
  • Additional Videos Archive
  • Referendum Voting Information
  • Current FHS Challenges
  • Why We Must Act
  • Proposed New FHS Facility
  • Frequently Asked Questions
Stay Connected
Subscribe To Newsletter
Get occasional important updates from Comprehensive FHS
Unsubscribe any time
Invalid email address
Thank you for signing up for our updates!

Please note - for security, you will now receive a confirmation email. You must click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our updates.
Comprehensive FHS Video Series

Comprehensive FHS is an independent, non-partisan organization and is not affiliated with any other organization.

Document/Content Mirroring Policy

Referendum is scheduled for:
Thursday December 8, 2022
6AM-8PM
Please Vote Yes – Your Vote Matters

The FHS Building Project Referendum was held
Thursday June 3, 2021 6AM-8PM
Thank you for your YES votes –
your votes mattered
your support mattered
Stay Engaged.

Paid for by Comprehensive FHS, Kavita Umarani, Treasurer
This message was made independent of any candidate or political party.

 

Comprehensive FHS
PO Box 161
Farmington, CT 06034

©2023 Comprehensive FHS