From the Greenwich House Delegation:
State Representatives Steve Meskers (D-150), Hector Arzeno (D-151) and Rachel Khanna (D-149), are pleased to announce they have secured a State grant commitment for the construction of the new Central Middle School (CMS) in this year’s legislative session.
State Reps Steve Meskers (D-150), Rachel Khanna (D-149), and Hector Arzeno (D-151) photographed in the state capital. Contributed photo
The grant is timely as the school was temporarily shut down in February 2022 over structural concerns, and the recent earthquake forced another evacuation to assess if the danger of collapse had increased.
The House delegation was able to secure a reimbursement of 20%, a percentage exceeding all expectations.
“We hope with this grant commitment in place the town can now focus solely on the task of providing a new middle school in the heart of Cos Cob,” said Representative Arzeno, who represents the CMS catchment area.
“We stepped in after seeing that the town was facing two suboptimal choices – to forgo any state grant dollars or to start the grant application process in June 2024 and risk delaying the construction schedule. We felt that for the students and for the community, it’s imperative to keep this project on track,” Representative Khanna said.
Representative Meskers noted, “Critical to this success has been the unwavering support of the CMS community, advocacy of the Superintendent, the building committee and a collaborative dedication to delivering results for our community.”
Central Middle School is located in the 151st District just north of the Post Road (Rte. 1) and east of Greenwich High School. The CMS building committee plans to break ground in December 2024 behind the existing school and to open the new school in August 2026.
Update: This post has been updated to reflect that the percentage of state reimbursement for CMS is 20%.