Progress has been made on the new Watertown High School, and the goal of having the building produce all the energy needed to operate is closer to becoming a reality.
When the high school project was approved, it was designed to be Net Zero energy and also meet the LEED Platinum standards for energy efficiency and sustainability. Since being approved in June 2021, the project budget has increased significantly mostly due to the rise in construction costs.
City Manager George Proakis told the City Council that the project would be completed, with a net zero energy building, and not borrow more than $150 million to cover the cost. Sideris said it is likely that the energy efficiency and sustainability goal will be achieved.
“On the high school, a couple good things. We are still very much on schedule and part of our goal, as everyone knows, is a Net Zero LEED Platinum high school. Part of that is geothermal, which will do our heating and cooling. The wells are being drilled as we speak,” Sideris said. “And the consultant working with us on LEED Certification, they were very excited about the fact that we are way ahead of where we need to be for LEED Platinum Certification.”
School Committee member Jessica Middlebrook added that most of the old high school has been handled in a sustainable way.
“The fun fact that has stuck with me is that 99 percent of the former high school was diverted from landfills, that is huge,” Middlebrook said. “When we think about what it is to take down an entire building like that and dispose of it in a way that is environmentally responsible, that’s huge. And currently we are on track for 99 percent the whole project to be diverted from landfill. So, that’s something that we should be singing from the rooftops.”
The new school will really begin to take shape before the cold weather sets in, Sideris said. The exterior walls are going up now, and the concrete has been poured for the interior staircases, said City Council President Mark Sideris.
“The building should be weather tight before the weather becomes too, too bad,” Sideris said.
The School Committee, City Council and others, will be invited on a tour of the construction site before the end of September, Sideris said.
Elementary School Projects
The new school building at Hosmer Elementary School was finished in 2022, but additions outside the school are still being made, said Superintendent Dede Galdston.
“The swings are done at the Hosmer and the fence is going up, so recess at the Hosmer will be a much more exciting and motion filled event,” Galdston said.
Lowell Elementary School, which reopened in 2023 after being renovated and expanded, still has a few odds and ends to be completed, Sideris said.
“We are down to a few punch list items at the Lowell,” Sideris said. “Myself and (City Council Vice President) Vincent Piccirilli, and the Ai3 (Architects) team walked the site. We are pretty much going to be done there shortly.”
I can only imagine all the hours of work of so many people given to planning and construction of the new High School and the other school building projects. Their efforts demonstrate their commitment to Watertown children’s education and commitment to the environment that benefits us all now and in the future. Thank you to all.
It is a remarkable achievement to have recycled? the old school materials.
How was “99 percent the whole project to be diverted from landfill” accomplished?
Like David I’d love to know how the tons of material from the old building were diverted from landfill. Piping, wood framing, rebar, concrete, wiring, doors, windows, tile, insulation, light fixtures, furniture, blackboards, and more probably were sorted and sent to different places — but to where, and how might they be re-used? The details behind that impressive 99% would be very interesting and informative for the Watertown community.
Would love to see an article researching this. Could it perhaps be a high school project?