By Evan MacDonald/emacdonald@wickedlocal.com GateHouse News Service Posted Apr 12, 2012 @ 02:00 PM
Winchester, MA — Residents and town officials got their first look at what a new Winchester High School could look like when the firms responsible for the High School Feasibility Project presented to the School Committee April 3 and to the WHS Parent Faculty Association April 4.
Architectural, engineering, and planning firm Symmes Maini & McKee Associates and Skanska USA, the owner’s project manager, are overseeing the project. The Massachusetts School Building Authority, which oversees school construction in the state, selected SMMA for the job Feb. 7.
Superintendant of Schools William McAlduff said he has been impressed by the working relationship between the two companies so far. “I continue to be impressed by their level of experience,” he said. “It was apparent right away how well they work together as a team.”
Barbara Boylan of Skanska USA said the project is divided into three main phases: preliminary design, preferred schematic report, and schematic design. The project will go back to the MSBA for approval at the conclusion of each phase.
The first phase, preliminary design, will begin immediately and continue through the summer. School and town officials will tour three new high schools — Quincy High School, Tewksbury High School, and Wellesley High School — this month to get a sense of what a new or refurbished WHS could look like.
Then, four dates in April and May have been scheduled for all-day programming sessions. School officials, teachers, non-teaching staff, and students will have the opportunity to provide input during those sessions.
Once school ends, SMMA will conduct an analysis of the existing conditions at the school. SMMA Project Manager Lorraine Finnegan said that process would include taking measurements, testing structural integrity, analyzing utility bills and making sure everything is up to code in the building.
SMMA is required to bring at point, the MSBA could approve one of the designs for a preferred schematic phase, where the firm will continue to evolve the idea.
least three options to the MSBA for approval once the preliminary design phase is completed. At that
Once the preferred schematic is approved, the project will proceed to the schematic design phase, which will be a thorough, intensive design of the entire school.
Finnegan said SMMA is prepared to explore every option. “We’re not coming into this project with any preconceived notions,” Finnegan said. “We’re open and willing to find the best fit for the town.”
Boylan said the total cost of the project would be determined later, but that the town would be updated along the way.“We’re going to advise the town about the schedule and the costs along the way,” Boylan said. “There are a lot of checks and balances built into this process.”
Renovation or new construction?
Finnegan said that both a renovation and a new construction have advantages and disadvantages.
She said renovating the school could be cheaper, be done in phases, and include an expedited permitting process. A renovation would also allow the school to keep its large gymnasium, which is larger than the MSBA’s current gymnasium guidelines.
On the other hand, Finnegan said the current school building is inefficient. She said modern schools attempt to maximize learning space, and that WHS does not do that. Its large corridors, oversized gymnasium, and sizable boiler room take away critical learning space.
“We would need to look at taking back some efficiencies and making the best use of the space as possible,” she said.
A new construction would maximize efficiencies but could take longer to build, Finnegan said. The town would also need to find a suitable space to build a new school or a place to move students while construction occurs on the current grounds. The town has suggested Skillings Field, Wright-Locke Farm, and the Lynch School as potential locations for a new construction.
Alex Pitkin, an architect for SMMA, said either project would focus on maximizing learning space and creating a more active learning environment. He said many new schools include features such as study spaces in its corridors in order to accomplish those goals.
“How much learning is done beyond the four walls of a classroom?” Pitkin said. “We want to take advantage of every square foot.” Pitkin also said SMMA will focus on making the school more energy-efficient. The firm will also put a major focus on increasing the amount of technology in the building.
Copyright 2012 The Winchester Star. Some rights reserved
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