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Date: 8/3/2022
NORTHAMPTON – After a fire heavily damaged Building E of Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School on May 23, the school’s administration is weighing their options regarding the final square footage for a future rebuild.
During a July 5 Board of Trustees Property Subcommittee meeting, the school announced that Dietz & Co. Architects was hired to design a new building for the forestry education program with a proposal possibly coming in the fall. Dietz & Co. President Kevin Riordon is working with the trustees and educators to develop a final site plan and program that fits a new state-of-the-art facility.
“While everyone is hopeful we can expand the square footage, the reality is the available finances will dictate the size of the rebuild,” Smith Superintendent Andrew Linkenhoker told Reminder Publishing.
According to Linkenhoker, there is no official information about how much a new building could cost, but he did add that he has been given estimates between $400 and $800 per square foot for construction.
During the July 5 meeting, Linkenhoker stated that the damaged building was insured for up to $1.5 million, while the equipment and tools inside were insured up to $238,000. Additionally, many replacements for damaged equipment and tools have been donated, which means that some of the insurance money for the building will be freed up.
“I also do know, to be totally transparent, we have other facility issues on campus and I need to be very cautious how far we go down the route of spending every penny on the horticulture building,” Linkenhoker said.
On the day of the fire, the Northampton Fire Department determined that the fire began in a garage bay housing vehicles and power equipment. They also learned that a riding lawnmower had been in use a short time earlier, and that it had been backed in against a rear wall where rags, tarps and other combustible items were stored.
Linkenhoker said that the state approved the school’s request to use existing grant money to replace the zero-turn riding lawnmower that started the fire.
Additionally, the school has just submitted for the latest Skills Capital Grant under the Baker Administration. According to Linkenhoker, this particular Skills Capital Grant acts as a dual purpose, where some of it will go toward the improvement of the equipment for students, while 30 percent of it will go toward the horticulture building.
In addition, there is a larger Skills Capital Grant coming out in the fall, which is upwards of $5 million, according to Linkenhoker. Seventy percent of that grant can be applied toward facility upgrades.
On top of that, state Sen. Jo Comerford has also submitted an amendment that would provide an additional $275,000 in state grants to assist with the rebuild process. The school is also collecting monetary donations from the community.
“If we are fortunate to receive these grants they would help in addition to the insurance settlement we will eventually receive,” Linkenhoker told Reminder Publishing.
While the logistics of the new building are still being worked out, the school’s horticulture instructors told the property subcommittee during the July 5 meeting that they need at least two shop spaces, three classrooms, offices, locker rooms and an indoor climbing area for students to practice climbing trees. The trustees hope to have an idea of program by their next meeting in August.
In the meantime, the school will continue to determine the scope of the rebuild and finalize their available finances. According to Linkenhoker, the undamaged section of Building E will be ready for the upcoming school year.