MERIDEN - The City Council is poised to approve the high school upgrade known as the "hybrid option" Tuesday, but will not be taking action on the related funding until much later.

Tuesday's vote will let school administrators begin work on the educational specifications that will guide architectural planning of the upgrade.

The hybrid option entails building new classroom wings at Maloney and Platt high schools and renovating the existing core spaces, such as the cafeterias, gymnasiums and auditoriums. The old classroom wings would eventually be demolished. The hybrid option would cost the city an estimated $69.9 million, after state reimbursement.

Democratic Councilors Brian P. Daniels and George McGoldrick, both of whom were on the High School Study Committee, submitted a resolution this week in support of the hybrid option.

"It's kind of like a compromise option," said Daniels, who was chairman of the study committee. "Everybody sees something in it that they like."

The hybrid option, he said, preserves the existing buildings' large auditoriums and gymnasiums, which was important to students and faculty. At the same, he said, the option provides new classroom space, which was important to many.

While nine of the 12 councilors support the hybrid option, there is some dissent. We the People Councilor Walter A. Shamock Jr. agreed that something should be done to improve the two 52-year-old high schools, but said the hybrid option's price tag is simply too much in a bad economy.

Shamock, council minority leader, argues that the city should simply set aside $40 million to cover basic repairs at the schools.

Backers of the hybrid option object to Shamock's proposal, noting that basic repairs are not eligible for the state's 77.14 percent reimbursement rate to the city. (In the hybrid proposal, for instance, the local expenditure of $69.9 million would receive a state match of about $179 million.)

But Shamock observed that $40 million is still cheaper than the $69.9 million called for in the hybrid option.

"You aren't getting the reimbursement, but it's still going to be $30 million cheaper," he said.

We the People Councilor Bob Williams Jr. said he will support renovating the schools to "like new" status, an option that would be eligible for the full state reimbursement and would cost the city an estimated $63.2 million.

The "like new" option is significantly less expensive, Williams said, and has a longer construction period than other options, allowing the city to spread out bonding. Williams added that he wished the City Charter provided for a referendum that would have given the citizens a direct say on the project.

"I think our citizens feel as if they do not really have a voice in the process and, in more cases than not, they will not be heard or represented," he said.

Democratic Councilor John Thorp said he has been visiting restaurants this week to get the pulse of the public concerning the upgrade project. On Tuesday, Thorp said, he will either vote for the hybrid option or for doing nothing now, since he is concerned about making a large capital expenditure during difficult financial times.

Once the council selects an option, school district staff members would be able to begin the six- to eight-month process of drafting educational specifications, said Glen Lamontagne, associate superintendent for finance and administration. The Board of Education eventually would vote to approve the specifications. At that point, the City Council would establish a school building committee, authorize the superintendent to submit plans to the state and set aside the $150,000 to $200,000 needed for architectural services.

The architects, Lamontagne said, would help the city get a more refined cost estimate. The Board of Education and several city councilors hope to get the city's final application to the state by June 2011, which would require the city to approve construction funding earlier that year.

Democratic Councilor Trevor F. Thorpe said it is important to note that Tuesday's vote does not commit the city to construction funding.

"All we're doing right now is picking the style that we want," he said.

gmoore@record-journal.com

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