Lenell Kittlitz, director of facilities planning for the state's community-technical colleges, updated the board of trustees Monday with a status of the formal review, which was requested by the board last month.

"We have been proceeding with that," Kittlitz told the board during the brief update. "We're still very much in the gathering mode of this project."

While Kittlitz said she was unsure how long the environmental impact study could take, she could have a better idea Friday, when some preliminary information is due to her office.

On Monday, Three Rivers President Grace Jones thanked the board for moving forward with the study and said the "college community is doing our work, too" since administrators are starting to plan "on the content side" up until the year 2020.

"So, we are all moving along," she said.

Last month, the board instructed the state Department of Public Works to proceed with the studies, which will evaluate environmental, traffic and other aspects of the New London Turnpike site.

The request for the studies stops short of approving the property as the place to consolidate the college.

But if no significant problems are identified, construction of the $60.9 million project can proceed. The DPW hopes to begin construction in early 2004.

Downtown plan

Dean Pagani, director of communications for Gov. John G. Rowland, said Monday the state Office of Policy and Management has received some dated material on the Chestnut and Franklin streets plan and has begun reviewing it.

That 4-year-old-plan includes transforming the old mill into the college. It was not included among most recent studies reviewing school options. A downtown harbor site, however, was included.

Meanwhile, Norwich Mayor Arthur Lathrop said it was in the city's best interest to cooperate with Rowland and state offices as they review the JB Martin mill site. He said he would be kept informed and included in the review process.

While Rowland has pulled back support for a downtown site along the harbor, Ron Aliano, preferred developer of that site, has maintained the governor does not have the proper information regarding the proposal.

Other options for the consolidation include the Preston site along Route 12 and the college's Mahan Drive campus.

-- Staff writer Megan Bard contributed to this report.