New Building Project Status Report

May be viewed at this link.

Supporting Documents from Last Night's Meeting on the New Building and Technology

Please review at your leisure and send comments to esumspto@gmail.com.  Minutes from the meeting will be posted later today.

ESUMS "Network Challenges"

ESUMS Technology

To clarify, these were prepared by the central office administrators and handed out at the meeting; these are not our docs.

Reminder: PTO Meeting with Dr. Mayo Tomorrow at 5pm Before the Band Concert!

Please come out and discuss wifi and technology in our Leeder Hill building as well as our new building in West Haven.  We hope to learn the date and details of the coming move.

We will meet in the art room if attendance allows.  Questions about technology and the move can be submitted in advance to esumspto@gmail.com.  Submitted questions will be asked first, followed by open floor.

Live Webcam of School Building Construction Site

Very cool, but a little hard-to-find on esumsnh.net, right above Featured Albums.

Hooray! Blasting Begins for the New ESUMS Building!

Subject: ESUMS Blasting - 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Next Four (4) Weeks

Dear Campus Students, Faculty and Staff,

 Please be aware that the blasting phase of construction for the Engineering and Science University Magnet School (ESUMS) will begin next week.

 Blasting  will continue with two events per day  (mornings after 9:00 a.m. and afternoons before 5:00 p.m.).  This activity will continue for approximately four (4) weeks.

 Many of you may have experienced the vibration of the initial test and early blasts both yesterday and today.  These were conducted to validate that the activities are within permitted safe seismic limits.

 This is very similar to the blasting conducted for Westside Hall using the same safeguards and safety protocols.  These safeguards include and are not limited to, notification to city and university safety/emergency personnel, perimeter security and seismic monitoring.

 Should you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact the Office of Facilities or the Office of Campus Safety & Security.

More Groundbreaking News

Story in the Register.

Ground Has Been Broken . . .

. . . for the new building.  Photos and story here.

Hey, How's That New Building Coming Along?

The welcome letter to UNH students this fall reads, in part:

"Soon, construction will begin to the west of Bergami Hall on the Engineering and Science University Magnet School (ESUMS), an interdisciplinary school for middle and high school students. ESUMS was created in 2008 through a partnership among UNH and the cities of West Haven and New Haven. Once completed, UNH students will have access during the evening to some of the state-of-the-art lab spaces there, which will help to address a critical need on our campus."

If you get a chance, you can walk by the site and see how the work is coming along.  

Board of Aldermen Finally Approve New ESUMS Building

Secant! Tangent! Cosine! Sine!

Three-point-one-four-one-five-nine!

Hooray for ESUMS!

West Haven Approves 50% Reduction in Building Fees

Thanks to the West Haven City Council for approving a 50% reduction in the fees due to the Building Department.  And many thanks to UNH for picking up the other 50%.

Nothing should now stand in the way of the New Haven Board of Alders' approval of the project . . . .

Alert! West Haven Parents!

Time to contact your local representatives!  The New Haven Board of Aldermen has decided to wait to vote on approving the school building until they find out whether West Haven will waive the permit fee!  You can call or write more than one council member and urge that they vote to waive the fee.

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/esums_vote_delayed/

Here are their names and numbers:

Editorial by Mayor DeStefano on School Construction Costs & Benefits

New Haven Register

Hooray!

Unanimous YES from the Board of Aldermen!

new haven independent

Oh rats.  That was only the Finance & Education Committees.  The entire board votes November 18.

new haven register

Public Meeting of the Board of Aldermen Tuesday

"The Joint Education-Finance Committee will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, October 22, 2013, at 6:00 P.M, in the Aldermanic Chambers, 165 Church St., New Haven, to act upon the following item;
ORDER OF THE NEW HAVEN BOARD OF ALDERMEN AUTHORIZING THE PURCHASE OF PROPERTIES FOR THE ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE UNIVERSITY MAGNET SCHOOL (ESUMS) CONSTRUCTION PROJECT"

The PTO has not yet organized any formal presence at this meeting, but it is open to the public, if you want to attend to see how it goes.     

Board of Aldermen Education Meeting Tomorrow

The Education Committee of the New Haven Board of Aldermen will meet tomorrow evening, Tuesday, August 27, at 6 pm at 165 Church Street in New Haven.

The agenda for the meeting says "workshop with Superintendent Garth Harries."  It's not clear whether the funding for the new ESUMS building will be discussed or if it would help in any way to have parents there, but anyone interested can certainly attend and participate in this open public meeting.

New Haven Alders Grumbling over Price of ESUMS Building

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/aldermen_balk_at_esums_price_tag/

Uh - oh.  It would be silly to lose the 95% reimbursement from the state.  If you're a resident, you can call or write your alderman.  Email addresses and phone numbers here: http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/aldermen/index.asp

New Building

The building committee met yesterday to hear more of the architects' plans for the new ESUMS building.  This drawing shows the classrooms (all glass) with the brick gym and cafeteria/auditorium in front.  There will be a rooftop garden on the cafeteria and skylights on the gym.  The main roof will have a small solar panel system (providing about 15% of the building's power).  They plan two outdoor classrooms, a nice engineering workshop, a dedicated lab for the Cisco program, and a walking path to the UNH main campus.  

Good News: Planning & Zoning Approval

http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2013/06/04/news/metro/doc51ad6280d1c57726661780.txt

The West Haven Planning & Zoning Board approved the plans and zoning change for the new building.

Good News: Funds from the State Legislature

"Another paragraph addressed $2.5 million in off-site costs related to the construction of a permanent home for the Engineering & Science University Magnet School (ESUMS) across the town line in West Haven. The $2.5 million related to off-site improvements, such as straightening out a road and adding a left-hand turning lane, Weisselberg said. Off-site improvements are not usually considered eligible for reimbursement by the state; the legislature deemed those costs eligible for reimbursement after all."  (http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/gee_thanks_folks/)