An Update About Winchester High School to Town Meeting from the EFPBC

WINCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL FEASIBILITY STUDY

With continued enrollment growth and a list of shortcomings identified by the 2007 WPS 10-year Facilities Master Plan, Town Meeting approved a $1.3M Feasibility Study in November 2010 to identify options for necessary improvements to the Winchester High School. The study’s scope is established by the Massachusetts School Building Authority [MSBA]—a partner in the project—and is limited to early or conceptual phase work including existing condition assessments, educational programming, building site analyses, and conceptual design options. The MSBA is reimbursing the town nearly 34% of the cost of this work.

After a rigorous interview process the MSBA and EFPBC selected this January the experienced design and management team of SMMA (architect) and Skanska (project manager). Following last month’s kick-off of the Feasibility Study, the team has begun a series of functional and space programming meetings with WHS teachers, staff, parents, and students to define the educational needs of the school. Simultaneously, an analysis of potential building sites including the existing WHS campus has begun and a project website is being developed.

Next Steps

Community engagement and input is vital to the outcome of the Feasibility Study and the implementation of a preferred program and design solution. Beginning with our first session on June 5, Community Meetings will be held regularly to provide updates to interested citizens as well as to drive feedback through a number of channels. The schedule for these meetings will be published via school newsletters, the Town Clerk’s office (postings), local media outlets, and a number of community outreach organizations.

The project team’s efforts this summer will be focused on data collection including assessments of the current educational program and operations, existing WHS site and physical plant conditions, as well as alternative site analyses. Once school is back in session this fall, Community Meetings will share the summer’s work and most importantly get feedback from you.

In late 2012 the EFPBC and School Committee will submit to the MSBA a preferred solution (renovate existing or new construction) for review and approval by the agency’s Executive Board. This early submittal establishes the framework for a 4-month schematic design phase and preliminary cost estimate scheduled for completion and MSBA submission in the summer of 2013 at which time the Feasibility Study phase will be considered complete.

With MSBA acceptance of schematic design and commitment to continued reimbursement for a percentage of project costs, Town Meeting will be asked in the fall of 2013 to determine its support for a debt exclusion override for the balance of the design phase and subsequent project construction.

WHS Feasibility Project Website