Ridgefield News
September 19, 1998

Hundreds Tour School Site

Many Visitors Surprised To Find Ippoliti Site "High And Dry"

Hundreds Tour School Site

Many Surprised To Find Ippoliti Land Is "High and Dry"

Sept. 19 -- Several hundred Ridgefielders turned out today to tour the proposed site for the new intermediate school, the so-called Ippoliti property. Many, including long-term residents, were surprised at the size, beauty, and topography of the 60-acre property the town purchased earlier this year. Town and school officials, including School Superintendant Ralph Wallace (photo, right, in white shirt) and Democratic school board member Bob Opotzner (photo, in 'Duke' shirt next to Dr. Wallace), took turns hosting tours of the site.
Contrary to its image as a "swamp," the site is indeed high and dry. The area pictured (photo, left) is the future site of playing fields for the proposed school(s). While about one-third of the total site is classifed as wetland, this delineation is based primarily on soil type; on a sunny late summer day, the land was dry as a bone. However, despite the beauty of the site, and its convenient location, there are problems. The Rt. 35 location has heavy traffic today; a new school would add to the daily load. And some regulatory approvals are needed for work near the wetland area. Town and school officials told visitors that it's a question of alternatives. Most Ridgefielders who have analyzed the available alternatives believe the Ippoliti property is clearly the best choice for the badly needed Grade 5-6 school.

In a related development, preliminary cost estimates for the new intermediate school were presented this week. The total estimate is $31.4 million, with about $6 million of that to be reimbursed by the state.

(Photo, left: visitors checked in at an information desk prior to beginning their tours of the site. Here longtime resident Stefi Jones [center, pink shirt] looks over the map. Town officials served as tour guides. On the right, Democratic Selectman Mike Jones [center] and Board of Education member Doug Orr [left] shared hosting duties.)

Many visitors were surprised to see how much of the site is dry land, apparenttly well-suited to building. Most residents' image of the site is the one gained by driving by on Rt. 35, where the view is of a low land area and a pond. This has led to an impression in some minds that the site is a "swamp." Nothing could be further from the truth, as can be seen in these pictures. Right behind the pond, the land quickly rises and is elevated acrossd most of the nearly 60 acres. The photo (left) shows the western shore of the pond, looking south; you can see how the land to the right begins to slope upward, back toward the interior of the site. (Right) The interior of the site contains some beautiful land, cut with trails, many of which will be preserved as nature walks and ecological study areas for students and residents alike.

Democratic Board of Education member Bob Opotzner (photo, right: that's Bob with the cap and the 'Duke' shirt) has been vocal about the need to get as many answers as possible about any contingencies surrounding building on the site (Click here to read Bob's column). On Saturday, he acted as amateur tour guide, here leading a group to the area on the site where the school would be built.

The site walk was avilable on a self-guided basis as well, as signs and maps (photo, left) were posted throughout. This map shows the location of a future elementary school, as well as the Grade 5-6 school. There's even an old abandoned quarry (photo, right) on the site, with ancient construction debris left over too. The quarry was used 100 years or so ago for stone for Ridegfield's many stone walls.

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