Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 3/23/2023
EAST LONGMEADOW — Scores of residents gathered at East Longmeadow High School (ELHS) on March 16 to discuss the future of the building, and what it means for students and for taxes.
Ben Murphy, program manager for Skanska, the owner’s project manager, gave a brief overview of the groundwork done by the town and school district. The town applied to be a part of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) program in six consecutive years prior to the project being accepted in 2019.
The feasibility study identified three main projects, as well as several variations. Murphy said the visioning process at the beginning of the project identified the community’s desire for the school to “continue to be student centered,” “collaborative” and “have the support and reflect the needs of the town.” After examining each option, the ELHS Building Committee determined the preferred solution was new construction. On April 26, the MSBA will decide if the preferred solution, known as Option 3C, will be approved for the next phase of development. If the approval goes through the committee will begin the “schematic design” phase, which will define the project’s budget and scope.
Helen Fantini, project manager Symmes Maini McKee Associates (SMMA), which is working with Jones Whitsett architects, said, “You’ve got space here … to develop a wonderful site on.” The school’s parking was described as “more than adequate” and it was noted that the athletic fields and courts are extensive and in good condition.
However, there are no pedestrian routes between the stadium and the school or in the parking lot. Many of the accessible routes are not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) due to their conditions and configurations. There is also no separation between buses and passenger vehicles, creating potential safety issues.
Fantini explained that the existing school had been built in three phases – the original building in 1959 and additions in 1964 and 1973. According to information presented by Fantini, about half of the current 185,614-square-foot building is undersized by more than 5 percent of the MSBA’s guidelines.
Fantini reviewed challenges posed by the condition of the high school, including ongoing roof leaks, lack of insulation and moisture control, “significant quantities of hazmat materials” and accessibility issues. “The mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems are all at the end of their useful life,” Fantini said.
Kristian Whitsett, principal architect with Jones Whitsett Architects, discussed the “cost of doing nothing” and explained that the school could risk its accreditation if the building conditions are found to impact academic achievement. The school is currently “on warning” due to the building condition, Superintendent Gordon Smith said. If the district were to repair the school in a piecemeal style, it would cost the district more than if it had addressed the issues all at once. He also noted that once a certain percentage of the building is repaired, it would trigger the need to bring the entire building into ADA compliance, a costly venture without MSBA reimbursement. If the high school continues to deteriorate, it may also reduce enrollment, property values and the income of state education dollars.
Whitsett presented the final four options that this high school building committee considered. Option 1 was a base repair which would bring the building up to code and cost up to $120 million. It is unknown how much, if any, of that project would be reimbursed by the MSBA.
The second choice, Option 2C, would add to the building and renovate the existing structure. This plan would cost as much as $175 million. Option 3C is a brand-new school on the existing campus. The cost of this project is estimated to be up to $180 million. If the town embraced Option 5B, a new school and community building would be built on the site for up to $185 million. For any of these options the maximum estimated reimbursement from the MSBA would be $55 million, with the town responsible for the balance.
The reimbursement rate from the MSBA for the current phase of the project is 56.8 percent of “eligible costs.” Whitsett explained that the MSBA will only cover a certain dollar amount per square foot and has an extensive list of items it will not cover. He said that the MSBA tries to spread its limited amount of funding throughout the state, and therefore places limits on what it will reimburse.
The ELHS Building Committee chose Option 3C as the preferred schematic and the MSBA has given positive preliminary feedback. The decision to pursue Option 3C was made based on community input and cost, Whitsett explained.
Fantini presented a general overview of the proposed new school. The campus would feature separate school bus and parent vehicle drop off loops for better flow of vehicles and safety. traffic through the Nordon Street neighborhood would be eliminated. There would be new tennis courts, basketball courts, two baseball fields, two softball fields, a soccer field and a practice football field in addition to the existing stadium. All fields and courts would be connected with paved accessible pathways.
Jillian DeCoursey, an architect with Jones Whitsett Architects, explained that the first floor of the building would contain four wings, with two devoted to academics separate from the two “public facing” wings, which would house the auditorium and gymnasium. The building would feature areas for outdoor learning opportunities. The second floor of the academic wings would contain the media center as well as classrooms and laboratories.
The building would have a secure entryway and use a comprehensive security system. The ELHS Building Committee is pursuing a LEED certificate — a designation for environmentally sustainable construction – and will be compliant with the stretch energy code, creating an energy-efficient building. The committee is also exploring a rooftop solar array for usable energy or to sell back to the grid as an offset for the cost of the project.
The town must vote on Nov. 23 on whether to fund the project. “A failed vote would likely lead to the town needing to submit a new statement of interest,” Murphy said. If the vote passes, detailed designs will be drawn up between then and November 2024, followed by construction between 2024 and May 2027. Because the new building could be constructed alongside the existing one, the move-in date would be August 2026, at which point the existing building would be demolished and the site finished.
Questions
The audience had dozens of questions for school officials and the design team.
Several residents asked about whether a pool would be included in the school. Whitsett explained that the MSBA “will not even participate” in a project that includes the pool. Instead, School Committee Chair Gregory Thompson, who is also on the ELHS Building Committee, said a second question on the same November ballot will request funding to construct the pool. There will be no reimbursement for that project. The cost of the pool has not yet been calculated. If approved, Thompson said the project will be done at the same time and the pool will connect to the building. A resident noted that if the pool funding fails, there would be no pool for high school students or the Recreation Department.
Town Council Vice President Marilyn Richards, who was speaking as a resident, asked about the life expectancy of the new school. Whitsett said school buildings are required to be built to last longer than 50 years. He said they are “designed for longevity” and for the incorporation of future technology.
Despite dedicated areas for technical and vocational training, Smith said programs currently housed at the Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative’s Career Technical (CTEC) will remain there. Instead, the school would be modernizing its graphic design, information technology (IT) and culinary programs.
Someone estimated $5 million would be spent to house the town’s IT Department, East Longmeadow Cable Access Television (ELCAT) and the district office. He asked why those offices were not located where the rest of the town offices were. Thompson told him that ELCAT provides a TV studio for students to use, and the IT department provides instruction. IT Director Ryan Quimby also pointed out that most of the department’s work is done in the schools. Thompson called it “most prudent” to continue to locate the departments on the high school campus.
A resident asked how much property taxes would increase on average. She said that she has five children in the school district that will be affected by the new high school but is concerned about taxes ballooning. Whitsett told her the tax impact is being calculated now and firmer numbers will be provided at the next Community forum on May 18.
One person who had taken the tour of the high school that had been offered ahead of the meeting said she was “absolutely shocked” the Health Department had not already shut the school down. Another resident asked about airborne mold. Smith said that the air was regularly tested. The superintendent knocked on the table and “so far,” there had been no mold detected.
A resident asked about enrollment and population growth. Smith explained that kindergarten enrollment has slowly been increasing and is back at pre-coronavirus pandemic levels.
Another person told the school officials that parents in town had been talking about moving if funding for the new school does not pass. Many people in the audience nodded in agreement. Someone else urged the crowd to visit https://www.voteyeselhs.org, a website with a questionnaire and frequently asked questions about the project.
For more information about the project, visit https://www.eastlongmeadowma.gov/elhsbuildingproject.