Iron fence to block Sandy Hook entrance as part of demolition plans

NEWTOWN, Conn., Aug. 20 (UPI) -- An iron fence will soon block the main entrance to the vacant Connecticut school where 26 people were killed in a massacre last year, town officials said.

The black fence at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown will replace the concrete barriers and orange cones currently blocking the entrance, The (Danbury) News-Times reported.

The school has been closed since Dec. 14 when gunman Adam Lanza, 20, killed 20 children and six educators before killing himself.

Plans are under way to demolish the building and replace it.

Under those plans, the current driveway to the school will not be used for anything but emergency access, The News-Times reported.

Part of a $50 million grant the state has offered the town for the construction of a new school is intended for the purchase of two pieces of land for a new entrance.

A town-wide referendum on the acceptance of the grant is slated for Oct. 5.

The time line calls for demolition of the school in November.

The choosing of an architect and the formal design for the school will not happen until after the vote to accept the grant, The News-Times said.