Committee Selects Architectural Firm For New School

The Morgan Building Committee (MBC) recently named Newman Architects from New Haven as the architectural firm who will design the new Morgan high school.

"We are now in contract negotiations with an architect who is Newman Associates," announced MBC member Ethelene DiBona at the recent Board of Education meeting.

DiBona is also a member of the town's school board.

The MBC reviewed the qualifications of about 15 architectural firms, interviewing about half.

David Thompson Architects, also out of New Haven, was hired by the MBC to do preliminary design work in the formulation of the school's overall cost.

DiBona said the firm has experience with schools of all levels of education.

According to Newman Architects website, some of their recent school design projects include the North Branford Intermediate School, the Harry A. Conte West Hills School in New Haven, Nathan Hale School in New Haven, and the William H. Hall High School in West Hartford.

College and university experience include designs for Wesleyan, SCSU, Northeastern, Williams College and Colgate University, to name a few.

The firm has been in business for 45 years and, according to their website, have won more than 125 awards.

DiBona said that the MBC has also hired an attorney from the legal firm of Shipman & Goodwin.

After the referendum passed in April, the schedule of the new school's completion has been tweaked and it could be ready in August of 2015 instead of January of 2016 which was first proposed.

"This could put the students in the school at the beginning of the school year and not mid-way which is ideal," said DiBona at the BOE meeting.

The MBC is now slated to look at construction management firms for the project.