WETHERSFIELD - The Wethersfield school district has already made some security-prompted fixes to some of its buildings and adding more is one of the top priorities highlighted in the Board of Education’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) request. That was unanimously approved and forwarded to the Town Council for consideration at the Board’s Dec. 22 meeting.

       â€�"Safety and security is a high priority in the Capital Improvement budget,” said Superintendent Michael Emmett during the meeting.

       Topping the list is $875,000 for window replacements at the Webb Elementary School. The Board is also looking to add window film at the Webb, Hamner, and Charles Wright Elementary Schools to the tune of a collective $45,000.

       A requested $50,000 will add security cameras at Silas Deane Middle School, according to the proposed CIP budget.

       The district just finished putting in new 40 inch doors at Hamner Elementary to the tune of just over $15,000 in operating budget funds. Charles Wright Elementary just saw its own window replacement, along with a $3,200 upgraded surveillance camera at the building’s front entrance.

       The latter change, courtesy of the Board’s operating budget, is expected to provide a clearer picture of visitors looking to be buzzed in, said Facilities Director Fred Bushey.

       At Webb, four doors in the rear of the building were recently replaced, according to Bushey.

       At Highcrest Elementary, the district recently spent just over $38,000 in operating budget funds to replace the building’s interior lockdown doors.

       The district is in the process of completing its $85 million Wethersfield High School renovation project, but the Board is already looking ahead to the future of its other buildings. The proposed CIP budget recommends the renovation of Hamner Elementary, expected to cost $25 million.

       Asbestos abatement at the building is among the CIP request’s big ticket items. That’s slated to cost $700,000, according to the budget proposal.