Newtown, Conn., breaks ground on new Sandy Hook Elementary School

Newtown, CT has issued a building permit for construction of the new Sandy Hook Elementary School. 

In the wake of the Dec. 14, 2012 shootings at Sandy Hook that killed 20 children and six adults, the original elementary school was demolished. Last fall, Consigli Construction Co. oversaw the demolition, and the firm will also take charge of construction for the new building. Svigals + Partners Architects designed the new school, and have partnered with Consigli and the town of Sandy Hook throughout the design process.

Ground has been broken on the new site, but no ceremony accompanied it. Town officials explained this by saying that they wanted to protect the privacy of Newtown citizens.  Construction on the 87,000-square-foot building will begin in March 2015, and is set to open for the fall 2016 school year. The property is fenced off so that the site cannot be seen or photographed from the outside. 

“This project is about much more than a new building,” Consigli Construction Co. president Anthony Consigli told Construction Dive. He noted that the builder, the architects and other “stakeholders” in the $50 million project have been “highly engaged with the community and appointed and elected officials.”