Government

Council Approves Funds for Design of Elementary School Projects

By |

An illustration of what the new Hosmer School will likely look like when completed, The view is from the east looking at the new main entrance. The Town Council approved the first major funding piece for the $170 million reconstruction of Watertown’s three elementary schools on Tuesday night. The project will be paid for within the Town’s budget, without requiring a debt exclusion to pay for the work, Town Manager Michael Driscoll said. The Council approved a loan order for $12.441 million for design services. Town Council President Mark Sideris noted that the project, and the price tag has changes significantly.

Building for the Future

Lowell School Plans Please School Building Committee; Updated on Hosmer & Cunniff

By |

An image of the latest plans for what Lowell Elementary School will look like after it is renovated. The latest images of what Lowell Elementary School will look like after renovation wowed members of the School Building Committee, last week. The group also got updates on the new buildings being built at the Hosmer and Cunniff elementary school sites. Scott Dunlap, project designer from Ai3 Architects, presented the plans to the School Building Committee at a meeting on April 25. Lowell will be extensively renovated inside the current building, but it will also have a significant addition on the west end of the school.

Schools

Proposed Changes to Elementary School Project Worry Neighbors, Committee

By |

The plan for Cunniff School would not have space for a tee ball field, after the building is moved left to provide more outdoor space along the right side. The School Building Committee discussed the plans on April 4. Architects presented proposed changes for the new buildings at the Cunniff and Hosmer schools, which left some concerns, particularly with the outdoor space at Cunniff. Scott Dunlap from Ai3 Architects presented the plans at last week’s School Building Committee meeting. Cunniff School

One major change would move the location of the proposed new Cunniff School building.

Schools

First Images Released of What Watertown’s New Schools Could Look Like

By |

A look at what the inside of Hosmer School could look like. The view is from the top of the stadium seats in the learning commons, and looks down the atrium to the main entrance. The architects designing Watertown’s new elementary schools gave the School Building Committee a peek at what Hosmer, Cunniff and Lowell could look like after construction is complete. Scott Dunlap of Ai3 Architects showed what designers have come up with for what the outsides of the new buildings could look like. They have also laid out where the classrooms, gyms, cafeterias and other spaces would be located, even started to show where sinks and other fixtures could go in the rooms.

Some of the layouts have changed since the proposals first came before the School Building Committee.

Schools

School Building Committee Supports Rebuilding 2 Elementary Schools, Renovating Third

By |

The plan for the Hosmer School campus presented to the School Building Committee on Jan. 23. it shows the brand new school, and three parking areas. The cost estimate for rebuilding two of Watertown’s three elementary schools — while the third is thoroughly renovated — came in close enough to the price of the alternative of renovating the three schools for the School Building Committee to recommend going for the new construction option. Representatives from project designer Ai3 Architects and owners project manager Daedalus Projects presented the cost estimates at the Jan.

Schools

Watertown May Build Two New Elementary Schools Instead of Renovating Them

By |

The option of building new buildings at two Watertown’s three elementary school appears to be back on the table, after Town Council President Mark Sideris announced that they may fit within the town’s budget during Wednesday’s School Building Committee. Originally, the School Building Committee previously went in the direction of renovating the current schools and putting on additions at Hosmer and Cunniff elementary schools to save money. However, the cost estimates for doing so has risen significantly. Sideris and Town Manager Michael Driscoll discussed other options, and decided that the possibility of building new schools may be within reach, Sideris said. The decision came after hearing from parents and neighbors of the schools, many of whom worried about the loss of green space with the proposed school expansions.

Cunniff School

Parents, Neighbors Have Concerns About Proposal for Cunniff School Renovation

By |

Parents and neighbors of Cunniff Elementary School got a look at what the school might look like after the renovation project is done, and they had some big questions and concerns about the loss of play area, drop off areas and more. 

Wednesday night the School Building Committee visited the school on the Westside of Watertown to discuss the upcoming renovation and addition of the campus. The board has upcoming meetings planned for Hosmer and Lowell schools. The current favored plan calls for keeping the front classroom wing at Cunniff, tearing down the one-story wing in back and replacing it with a two story wing. Along with classrooms, the project will add a full-size gym, expand the library, and create a music/blackbox theater space, said architect Scott Dunlap of Ai3 Architects. The classrooms in the existing wings will undergo major renovations.

Cunniff School

School Committee Excited by Improvement on MCAS Shown by Watertown Elementary Students

By |

The elementary school results on the 2018 MCAS test pleased the School Committee, particularly the improvement by students over the last year. Watertown’s principals and administrators presented the results at Monday night’s School Committee meeting. Efforts were made after last year’s MCAS results, said Assistant Superintendent of Teaching, Learning and Assessment Theresa McGuinness. “Last year, when we met to discuss the scores we realized we had a curriculum alignment problem,” McGuinness said.  “We met to see how we could make changes.” The growth in the scores particularly stood out, she said.