Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Supply-Chain Issues Delay Opening of Connecticut Elementary School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 12/20/22

Brookfield Public Schools in Brookfield, Conn., recently announced that the move-in date for its new elementary school has been delayed following a series of supply-chain issues, according to local news. Candlewood Lake Elementary, originally scheduled for completion by the end of 2022, will instead be finished in late May or early June of 2023, and staff and students will move into the facility in time for the fall 2023 semester. The new school measures in at 139,000 square feet and has an estimated $78.1-million budget, local news reports.

The district previously announced that due to delays in the availability of flooring materials, the school’s opening would have to be pushed off. In a Dec. 15 letter to parents and the larger school community posted on the district website, school leadership announced the new move-in date—as well as a shift in the move-in plan. Originally, students and staff would have phased into the new building during the spring 2023 semester. Now, the entire PreK–5 community will start the 2023–24 academic year together in the same place.

The new school will have the capacity for more than 1,000 students and 200 teachers and staff.

The school’s originally scheduled flooring provider filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this year. Municipal Building Committee chair Paul Checco said that the loss of this supplier created a “ripple effect” in the market as other flooring manufacturers experienced a rise in demand. The project also experienced a previous delay of three to four months in Nov. 2021 related to the delivery of roofing materials.

“The good news is we are able to stay on the original plan that the entire Pre-K through Fifth Grade will be in the new school together to start the 2023–2024 school year on September 5th, right after Labor Day,” said the letter. “This provides us with the opportunity to become one school community together, at the same time, as originally envisioned when CLES opens its doors.”

The district is partnering with construction firm O&G.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Ohio State University Opens 26-Story Hospital

    The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center recently opened in Columbus, Ohio, standing 26 stories and covering 1.9 million square feet, according to a university news release. The project marks ten years of effort and is the university’s largest single-facility construction project ever.

  • University of Illinois Moves Forward with College Sports’ Largest Digital Scoreboard

    The University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill., recently announced a series of upgrades to Gies Memorial Stadium that will include the largest scoreboard in college sports, according to a news release.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.