Commemorating the Korean War

Officials approved the purchase of a second parcel of land for a new K-8 school in city’s west side, which brings the total acreage of land for the school beyond what the city will be reimbursed for by the state.

The City Council approved a motion 4-0 to buy a nearly 12-acre lot of off Matthews Street for the appraised value of $600,000 or a little more than $50,000 an acre. The purchase was approved during a special June 26 meeting in which councilors Craig Minor, Frank Nicastro, and Kevin McCauley were absent.

With the approval to buy 15-acres earlier this year for about $750,000, the purchase of the second parcel brings the total acreage of land for the west side K-8 school to nearly 27 acres. If the deal goes through as planned, the city will not be eligible for reimbursement for about three of those acres.

The city is slated to be reimbursed by the state at a rate of 73.9 percent for the estimated $130 million K-8 school project, which will replace four schools with two new 900 student K-8 schools.

However, given the size of the proposed schools, the state will only reimburse the city for up to 24 acres for each site.

Mayor Art Ward said the extra three acres were agreed to with an eye on the future. Ward said, since the extra three acres are contiguous with the parcel, they may be useful for the city down the road.

“It’s very hard to assess all of the needs of the future,” Ward said. The agreement marks the last major land acquisition needed for the school project. The city already has bought the former Crowley properties next to Greene- Hills Elementary School for $2.25 million to be used for the Forestville K-8 school. Officials are still exploring whether or not to try to buy the Starlite Market on Pine Street for the school in Forestville.

New legislation aimed at putting automated external defibrillators into every school in the state is seen by many as a life-saving law. But, for Superintendent of Schools Philip Streifer the new law is another example of frustrating legislation placing the school district in a precarious position.

Public Act 09-94 went into effect on July 1. The law requires all schools in the state to have at least one defibrillator, a device used to restore a normal heart beat through the use of an electric shock, available during school and after school events including athletic games and practices by July 1, 2010.

The law additionally requires schools to have personnel trained in CPR and how to use defibrillators available during and after school, and requires schools to develop an emergency action plan for cardiac arrests.

The law gained near unanimous support from the General Assembly in May and was signed by Governor Jodi Rell in June.

“It saves lives, very simply,” said state Sen. Jonathan Harris (D-West Hartford), who chairs the state’s Public Health Committee, about the need for the bill. The bill was introduced by Harris’ committee.

Out of the state’s 107 school districts, Harris said more than half already have defibrillators in every school. Harris said it made sense to pass the law, along with a sister bill that reduces the liability for people who use defibrillators.

“It’s an important step

See DEFIBRILLATOR, page 4