Plans for a new elementary school moved ahead to a new phase last week. The Massachusetts School Building Authority’s board of directors voted to advance the project from the feasibility study to the schematic design phase. In this phase the building committee, architects, and MSBA collaborate on a detailed design.
At the board’s Aug. 23 meeting in Boston, the directors approved developing the schematic design for a new Hildreth Elementary School about 15 percent larger than the current building (81,836 square feet rather than 69,000 square feet).
The MSBA board noted that the existing building “suffers from deficiencies in major building systems including mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems,” as well as “structural issues and additional physical plant issues.”
HES was one of six projects—three high schools and three elementary schools—approved to advance to the schematic design phase. Other projects range in estimated total costs from $47 million for Tisbury Elementary School on Martha’s Vineyard to $336 million for Lowell High School. The current estimate for the HES project, according to the MSBA figures, is $48.6 million.
