Too busy to look up what’s going on in town? This article covers selected information from the minutes of various Town Boards and Commissions. If you want more detail, it can be found by going to suffieldct.gov, Agendas, Minutes, Recordings.
Board of Education and Permanent Building
Commission Joint Special Meeting Regarding
Middle School Facility
February 19, 2026
Scott Pellman from Colliers, serving as the Owner’s Project Manager (OPM), presented information about the plans for the repair, renovation as new, or replacement of the middle school, including the following:
• The facility’s 1960’s design is fundamentally incompatible with 21st-century educational needs.
• A primary challenge for the project is the space standard calculation utilized by the state to determine reimbursement, which often creates a discrepancy when compared to the district’s actual programmatic needs as defined in the Educational Specification.
• The renovation reimbursement rate is 51.07% versus a new construction reimbursement rate of 46.25%. However, if the Town shows that new construction is less expensive than renovation, the state may grant the higher renovation reimbursement rate for the new build.
Mr. Pellman reviewed the project’s timeline:
• Spring 2026: Refinement of building options (Repair, Renovate as new, Replace) and cost estimates
• November 3, 2026: Target date for Town Referendum
• June 2027: Deadline for State Grant application
• July 2028: Projected State funding authorization
• October 2028: Projected construction starts
The Board of Education and Permanent Building Commission members discussed potential building site options, state reimbursement eligibility for specific programming, and the potential for additional state funding if affordable housing becomes available in Suffield.
Jeff Wyszynski, Principal, and Antonia Ciaverella, Associate Architectural Designer at Tecton Architects, presented the draft Educational Specification for the middle school building project.
• The proposed layout emphasizes small learning communities to create a sense of place for students.
• Proposed space programming categories include: academics, specialized areas, and student support. The objective is to create a community asset that supports modern pedagogy while maximizing operational efficiency and health needs through natural light and updated environmental controls.
Board of Finance Budget Review Meeting
March 2, 2026
Overview of Selectmen’s Budget — First Selectman Moll presented and requested an initial increase of $680,094 to the overall budget. This request represents a 3.62% increase over last year’s Selectman budget. The major drivers for the increase are the Police Department ($231 ,271), Public Utilities ($94,702), DPW ($83,029), Library ($65, 143), and Community Services ($68,853). This year’s budget requests are mostly due to wage increases. Additionally, there is a request for an additional part-time firefighter. Adding this third firefighter, only 2-3 shifts will be covered by one employee.
Economic Development Commission
February 19, 2026
Commission Projects Update:
• The electronic touch screen kiosk with Town information to be put in front of the Kent Memorial Library is ready to be installed. It was suggested that it should be installed when the weather is better in the spring with a ribbon cutting and publicity. Mr. Chad Kuzontkoski, Economic Development Specialist, has met with library staff to familiarize them with it so that they can answer questions and assist people with its usage. He noted that making changes to the graphic user interface is a simple and an ongoing process.
• The dog park at the eastern part of Stony Brook Park is still pending, waiting for a quote on a driven point for water and a determination of where would be the best place to locate the fencing.
• The annual Small Business Passport will be expanded next year in November due to the success in the past years.
• Mr. Kuzontkoski plans to get in touch with the State for signage for the bike trail in West Suffield and the canal trail on the Connecticut River.
• He has been doing a monthly business spotlight on the Town website and will now be submitting that to the Suffield Observer to have more coverage.
Activities in the Light Industrial, Commercial and Town Center Village District zones for the month:
• The Suffield Hardware addition project and the Kitchen and Floor Store project are finished and are notable examples of projects in large part financed by the EDC TIF grant.
• There was discussion about approaching other businesses in the district to consider projects with high visibility.
• Mr. Kuzontkoski noted that the “Taste of Suffield “restaurant promotion is going on through April 1st where people can send their receipts in from two restaurants to be entered into a drawing to win a gift card to a local restaurant of their choice.