Proposed Magnet School Going to Town Council

The emergency response agreement for the proposed Magnet School in Fairchild Memorial Park is now before the Town Council, which will review it Monday night.

The Town Council's Legislative and Administrative Committee deadlocked Monday night after two meetings. 

"Both motions from the floor to hold in committee and send to [the] full Council without recommomdation failed. The resolution now automatically goes to the Council where representatives from the Trumbull Police and Fire Department will be present," said Suzanne Testani, committee chairwoman and vice chairwoman of the council.

The committee was reviewing a proposed emergency response agreement between Trumbull and Bridgeport.

Chief of Staff Dan Nelson said the council has several options. "They can act upon it. They can rework it. They can refer it back to committee," he said.

The agreement, in which Bridgeport would be primary responder in all school emergencies, is part of ongoing negotiations regarding the magnet school. Also included in the matter is First Selectman Tim Herbst's request that the package include radio upgrades to sychronize the departments' communications, as well as road upgrades.

The Planning and Zoning Commission  wants the Council to approve the agreement before rendering its own decision on the school. A 65-day extension gave the commission until April 20.

Herbst has proposed a land swap to remove the need for the agreement.

Claire Gold, a former Westport schools superintendent, and an architect also outlined the details of the proposed school to the committee at the one-hour meeting in , Nelson said.

The school would teach 1,500 students in three magnets: natural science, aerospace and information technology. It would be built on land in Fairchild Memorial Park, formerly belonging to Bridgeport.

Seventy percent of the students would come from Bridgeport and about 150 students from Trumbull. Others would come from surrounding communities.

Another factor in the negotiations is the potential for the town to build a sewage treatment plant 100 to 300 yards from the site, which would probably eliminate erecting the school, Herbst has said.

The town's sewage treatment contract with Bridgeport expires in June 2012.