Public meeting seeks input on new Brookings School

Date: 5/7/2012

May 7, 2012

By Debbie Gardner

debbieg@thereminder.com

SPRINGFIELD — The Department of Capital Asset Construction will host the second of two public meetings regarding reconstruction of the city's tornado-damaged elementary schools on May 16.

This meeting, which seeks public input on the design of a new school to replace the Elias Brookings Museum Magnet School, which was destroyed in the June 1, 2011 tornado, will take place at the J. C. Williams Community Center, 116 Florence St., beginning at 6 p.m.

A meeting concerning the reconstruction of the damaged north wing of Mary A. Dryden Veterans Memorial School took place in the school's auditorium on May 2. That meeting, which drew School Superintendent Alan J. Ingram, Deputy Superintendent Daniel Warwick, several City Councilors including Bud Williams, Tim Allen and council President James Ferrera as well as Executive Director of Parks and Recreation Patrick Sullivan, saw sparse attendance by parents and residents.

Rita Coppola-Wallace, director of the Department Capital Asset Construction, said the Brookings meeting would follow a similar format to the Dryden meeting, where city officials and architects encouraged input from parents and area residents regarding the new facility.

The only difference in the second meeting, Coppola-Wallace said, is that individuals attending the Brookings meeting will not be shown preliminary construction designs, as were Dryden attendees.

"There is an architect selected [for Brookings]," she said. "But the reason the meeting [is happening] is to get input from the public and then we will start to design."

The architectural firm selected to design the new Brookings school is Drummey Rosean Anderson of Newton Center, Coppola-Wallace said.

She encouraged parents and other interested individuals to attend the Brookings meeting to voice their ideas and concepts for the new school, no matter how "far out in left field" individuals may consider their ideas to be.

"We hope people will come out with their wildest ideas and we will see what we can do within the parameters we have to design to," Coppola-Wallace said. "Brookings is [being designed] from the ground up, so we are hoping to get some ideas [about what people want]."

She said once the architects have completed a preliminary design for the new Brookings school, the city would develop a budget and then present the proposal to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) for consideration and possible funding.

Coppola-Wallace said that in developing the plans for the new Brookings school, residents need to be aware that MSBA funding is limited to expenses directly related to education and cannot be applied toward any design elements intended solely as community use space.

She used as an example the suggestion made during community meetings with Rebuild Springfield that the East Forest Park library branch be incorporated into the reconstruction of Dryden. Because that would be considered community space and not part of the replacement of the parts of the school destroyed by the tornado — expenses that will be funded by the MSBA and money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency — the city would be "on the hook for 100 percent of the cost." Coppola Wallace said the city is still considering relocating the library branch in or on Dryden school grounds, but needs to find alternative funding for that project, which is now separate from the school rebuild.

However, Coppola-Wallace said, including elements at Brookings such as an auditorium that would be used for school functions during the day, and potentially available for community events in the evenings or on weekends, could fall under in MSBA funding.

She noted that both school projects are being fast-tracked by the MSBA, primarily because each site is currently renting portable classrooms to accommodate students, at considerable cost to the city.

Coppola-Wallace said individuals who are unable to attend the Brookings public meeting on May 16 are welcome to send their ideas for the school to her by email at rcoppola@springfieldcityhall.com.