While plans are moving ahead for the renovation of the Tiffany’s Event Center building, which Brookfield Local School District is buying and plans to turn into a career and technical education center and community center, school officials also are starting to talk about what to do with freed up space in the main school building.
The district plans to create an engineering program in the new building, and move several existing programs from the main building, including Industry 4.0, building trades, Career-Based Intervention, online credit recovery, community liaison and a pantry, said Supt. Toby Gibson.
Board member Jerry Necastro asked what will be done with the space that will be vacated when the existing programs move to the Tiffany’s building. Gibson responded it will become a “shell game” as officials reconfigure the building. Gibson has said that just about every available inch of space in the building is in use, with classrooms established in closets and other non-traditional spaces.
“I think that’s just something that we’re curious what gets moved and where and why and what opens up,” said board member Sarah Kurpe. “I think there are some areas that are really pinched.”
“I feel like we were busting at the seams years ago when we bought this building (board office) and here we are, it will be a really refreshing change,” she said.
Necastro said he would like the backstage area of the auditorium reallocated to the arts department. Areas that are supposed to be dressing rooms and a scene shop are being used for other purposes.
“I’m gonna try,” Gibson said of freeing up the backstage space.
Necastro asked if there will be problems getting students across Bedford Road within the allotted three minutes between classes. Gibson responded he did not think there will be any issues, but noted talks have started with the Trumbull County Engineer’s Office about making the crossing safer.
“As soon as the weather breaks, they’re gonna come out and take a peek and help us establish a true crosswalk, if we can,” Gibson said.
The sale closed March 12 and the district will take possession of the building sometime in April, after the Winner family, which owned Tiffany’s, clears out its possessions. The Winners and Sandy Superak, manager of Tiffany’s, have given school officials unlimited access to the building for some time so school officials can plan for renovations, said district Treasurer Jordan Weber.
Architect Tom Madej of 8e Architecture has been in the building and met with teachers and other staff members who will be located in the building, and a representative of SCOPE Senior Services, which is considering creating a senior center on the community center side of the building, to discuss possible layouts, Weber said.
Officials are trying to do as much planning as they can in advance of taking possession, he said.
“I think the idea is, as much as we can, by the time we have the ability to get in there with a sledgehammer, that we have the plans ready and everything ready to start bidding,” Weber said. “It’s not like we’re in a huge rush and we need to get in there in a month. But, we also don’t want to say, ‘OK, well we closed on it, got the keys, now, let’s start measuring for drapes.’ We’re really getting a crack on that.”
