Fermi’s Future Sparks Enfield Debate

ENFIELD, CT — The future of the Enfield Annex/Fermi building is becoming one of the town’s most closely watched issues as officials weigh the value of a longtime community facility against aging systems that could require expensive repairs.

The building at 124 Maple St. opened as Enrico Fermi High School in 1971, according to town documents. It served as one of Enfield’s two public high schools until 2016, when the town consolidated Fermi High School and Enfield High School.

After Fermi closed, the former high school became the Enfield Municipal Annex. Since then, the building has continued to serve the community through town and school uses, including recreation programming, adult education, performing arts, athletic facilities, community space, police training and storage.

The building still includes major former high school features, including a gymnasium, swimming pool, auditorium, locker rooms, cafeteria, kitchen, music rooms, former science labs and other spaces.

Now, town officials are openly discussing whether the building can remain in use without major investment.

At the June 15 Town Council meeting, Councilor Zach Zannoni said the town needs to avoid being forced into emergency decisions if building systems fail.

“I think what we cannot have is a situation like the annex turf, where a situation comes before us and we’re forced to act because of an imminent failure,” Zannoni said. “We have to be proactive, and the reality is, is that the infrastructure at the annex facility is going to fail. It’s not a question of if it will fail, it’s a question of when it will fail.”

Zannoni said HVAC repairs alone would likely exceed what the town can spend without going to referendum. He also said there is “no way” the issue could be placed on a referendum this November.

“We have to make a decision about whether a facility should remain open that we know could result in a catastrophic failure in regards to specific infrastructure and systems in that building within the next year, specifically the winter,” Zannoni said.

He said he wants the town to plan ahead for moving programs and services if necessary.

“I want us to be proactive with the relocation of the services and the programs that are provided in that building to other town facilities in a way that is methodical, that is proactive, and allows us to make informed decisions and have enough time to do that before the building fails,” Zannoni said.

Councilor Robert Cressotti pushed back strongly, saying he disagreed with Zannoni’s position and wanted residents to understand how heavily the building is used.

“It’s very easy to say get rid of the building and stop it, because we can’t afford to fix it. I totally disagree with what you’re saying,” Cressotti said.

Cressotti pointed to recreation uses, the pool, teams and children who use the facility.

“There is a lot, and it’s going to affect children,” Cressotti said. “I am not in favor of even having a discussion about it.”

Councilor Marie Pyznar said the discussion was not about immediately closing the building, but about understanding the risk and avoiding a last-minute scramble. She said she asked for the fire marshal to be present for an infrastructure tour.

“No one’s saying shut the doors tomorrow, but we’re just trying to be proactive,” Pyznar said.

Town Manager Matthew Coppler said the tour was intended to focus on the building’s critical infrastructure, not simply show councilors how rooms are being used.

“What this is is taking you into some of the small spaces that holds critical infrastructure that really is going to be key to the future of the building, short term,” Coppler said.

Coppler said the long-term needs are much larger.

“We all know that long term, if we’re going to occupy it, we have to replace the control systems that control the HVAC. We have to replace all the HVAC systems. There’s going to be electrical work. There’s a lot of work that’s in the tens of millions of dollars, potentially,” Coppler said.

He said the town may be able to bring forward short-term repairs costing “a couple hundred thousand dollars,” but those would only address known problems and would not solve the building’s larger issues.

“The concern is that when we get under pressure with the heat fully on in December, that if it goes off, we come to you again, but it’s going to be maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Coppler said.

Coppler said the central question is whether the town can get the building through the winter and what level of risk officials are willing to accept.

“There is no magical bullet for this one,” Coppler said. “There’s a lot of tough decisions there, and what my intention is, is to start that conversation.”

The debate comes after the town sought adaptive reuse proposals for the Annex/Fermi property in 2025. In that request, the town said possible future uses could include senior housing, community arts, public use spaces, education and training, health care, retail or commercial uses.

The town also said it intended to retain access to key amenities, including the pool, gymnasium, auditorium, pickleball courts and athletic fields.

Any future redevelopment could come with complications. Town documents note that the property was previously used as a tobacco field and may have contamination tied to that past use. The building may also contain asbestos or lead paint, according to the town’s adaptive reuse documents.

For many residents, Annex/Fermi is more than an old school building. It remains a community hub tied to generations of students, athletes, families and town programs.

For town officials, it is also a large, aging facility with expensive infrastructure problems and an uncertain future.

The issue is expected to continue in the coming weeks and months as the town weighs repair costs, safety concerns, program needs and the long-term future of the former Fermi High School.

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