Researcher: JM Page 1 5/10/21
OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 6617
AN ACT CONCERNING AUTHORIZATION OF STATE GRANT
COMMITMENTS FOR SCHOOL BUILDING PROJECTS AND
REVISIONS TO THE SCHOOL BUILDING PROJECTS STATUTES.
SUMMARY
This bill authorizes 15 school construction state grant commitments
totaling an estimated $394.9 million toward total estimated project
costs of $659.7 million. It also reauthorizes one high school renovation
project with additional estimated project costs of $40.7 million (see
BACKGROUND).
Beginning in fiscal year 2022, the bill requires water bottle filling
stations in all significant school construction projects, requires boards
of education to reconstitute local school building committees, and sets
new requirements for construction managers to be eligible to self-
perform certain construction work on a school building project.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage for the grant commitments and
July 1, 2021, for the statutory program changes.
§ 1 — SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION GRANT COMMITMENTS
For each project authorized by the bill, Table 1 shows the associated
district, school, estimates for total cost and state grant commitment,
and state reimbursement rate, ordered by project type.
Table 1: 2021 School Construction Grant Commitments
District School Project
Type
Estimated
Project
Costs
Estimated
Grant
Reimbursement
Rate
North
Branford
North
Branford
High School
New $88,242,390 $29,100,282 32.98%
Norwalk
Cranberry
Elementary
School
New 45,000,000 10,125,000 22.50% 2021HB-06617-R000647-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JM Page 2 5/10/21
South
Windsor
Pleasant
Valley
Elementary
School
New 58,500,000 22,148,100 37.86%
Torrington
Torrington
Middle &
High School
New 159,575,000 100,308,845 62.86%
West
Haven
Washington
Elementary
School
New 38,803,926 26,052,956 67.14%
Danbury
Ellsworth
Avenue
School
Annex
Expansion/
Alteration
9,600,000 6,137,280 63.93%
Hartford
Betances
Learning
Lab Magnet
School
Renovation 43,709,774 41,524,285 95.00%
Hartford
E. B.
Kennelly
School
Renovation 51,416,225 48,845,414 95.00%
Hartford
Fred D.
Wish
Museum
School
Renovation 49,320,000 46,854,000 95.00%
Killingly
Killingly
Memorial
School
Renovation 34,000,000 24,891,400 73.21%
Newington
Anna
Reynolds
Elementary
School
Renovation 35,500,000 20,792,350 58.57%
Norwalk
Naramake
Elementary
School
Extension/
Alteration
3,500,000 1,137,500 32.50%
Westport
Coleytown
Middle
School
Renovation 32,372,235 8,820,830 27.25%
Regional
District 1
Housatonic
Valley
Regional
High School
Vo-Ag
Equipment
319,533 255,626 80.00%
LEARN
(New
London
area
regional
educational
service
center)
LEARN
Ocean
Avenue
Academy
Special
Education
9,851,000 7,880,800 80.00% 2021HB-06617-R000647-BA.DOCX
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Totals $659,710,983 $394,874,668
Also, the bill reauthorizes one project with increased costs due to
changes in its scope. PA 18-138 originally authorized the Windham
High School renovation project with a total estimated project cost of
$71,670,200 and a 79.64% state reimbursement rate for the grant. The
bill authorizes a new total project estimated cost of $112,329,500, which
is an increase of $40,659,300. The bill provides a total estimated grant
commitment of $112,329,500, which is 100% of the project cost.
§ 2 — WATER BOTTLE FILLING STATIONS
The bill adds a requirement for water bottle filling stations to be
included in all school building projects for new construction,
extension, major alteration, renovation, or replacement on any project
listing the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) submits to the
General Assembly beginning July 1, 2022 (next year’s school
construction priority list). It does this by prohibiting DAS from
approving any school building project plan that does not provide for
the installation of at least one water bottle filling station:
1. per 100 students of the projected school building enrollment,
2. on each new floor or wing of the school building, and
3. in any food service area of the school building.
§ 3 — LOCAL SCHOOL BUILDIN G PROJECT COMMITTEES
Under current law, any school building committee established by a
town or regional board of education to undertake a school building
project must include at least one member who has experience in the
construction industry.
Beginning July 1, 2021, the bill requires local or regional boards of
education to (1) establish a new school building committee charged
with undertaking a school building project or (2) re-establish an
existing school building project committee. The board of education
must appoint the members of these committees, including at least one
member with experience in the construction industry as under existing 2021HB-06617-R000647-BA.DOCX
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law.
The bill specifies that any committee reestablished under its
provisions constitutes a successor committee to the prior school
building committee for purposes of undertaking a school building
project under the school construction statutes.
§ 4 — CONSTRUCTION MANAGER S SELF-PERFORMING
PROJECT WORK
By law, most contracts and orders for school building construction
receiving state assistance must be awarded to the lowest responsible
qualified bidder following a public bidding invitation. The law
provides exceptions for construction management contracts, which
instead must be awarded from a pool of up to the four most
responsible qualified proposers after a public selection process.
Beginning July 1, 2021, the law also allows awarding authorities
(e.g., boards of education), upon the written approval of the DAS
commissioner, to permit a construction manager to self-perform part
of the construction work if the authority and the commissioner
determine that doing so will be more cost-effective than using a
subcontractor. The bill additionally requires the awarding authority
and the commissioner to determine that the construction manager has
the requisite work experience and qualifications to self-perform the
work.
In order to be eligible to self-perform work, the bill requires the
construction manager to identify the project element at the time of the
original proposal to the owner and be (1) enrolled in a state-registered
apprenticeship program that provides related instruction for the work
the construction manager is seeking to self-perform and (2)
prequalified by DAS.
Current law requires work not done by the construction manager to
be performed by trade subcontractors selected under a process
approved by the DAS commissioner and the awarding authority. The
bill instead requires the subcontractor selection to be done in
accordance with state bidding and contracting rules that require a 2021HB-06617-R000647-BA.DOCX
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competitive bidding process and awarding the job to the lowest
responsible and qualified bidder who is prequalified by DAS.
The bill also requires sealed bids for specific project elements,
including from a construction manager, to be submitted
simultaneously with the project bid and only opened at the time and
place set in the bid solicitation notice.
Furthermore, if the construction manager is the successful bidder
for a project element, the manager must:
1. not use any of the project contingency money to assist in the
performance of self-performed work;
2. perform the work, other than limited portions that would
typically be done by specialty subcontractors, with employees
who are on the construction manager’s payroll and are properly
classified under the prevailing wage law; and
3. submit all change orders on self-performed work to be reviewed
by the owner or the owner’s representative.
BACKGROUND
State School Construction Grant Program
Under the state school construction grant program, the state
reimburses towns and local districts for a percentage of eligible school
construction costs through general obligation bonds (with less wealthy
municipalities receiving a higher reimbursement). The municipalities
pay the remaining costs. School districts must begin project
construction within two years of grant commitment to minimize
potential cost increases.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Education Committee
Joint Favorable Change of Reference - FIN
Yea 38 Nay 0 (03/22/2021)
Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee 2021HB-06617-R000647-BA.DOCX
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Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 42 Nay 4 (04/22/2021)