Schools

Familiar Architecture Firm Picked to Design Watertown Middle School, Committee Concerned with Budget & Getting “A Team”

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Watertown Middle School

A familiar firm has been selected to design the new Watertown Middle School, but members of the School Building Committee had concerns about getting the firm’s “A Team,” and whether the City can afford to build the kind of school they want for the students of Watertown. Wednesday night, the School Building Committee selected Ai3 Architects to do the feasibility study for the new middle school. The firm that designed Watertown’s three elementary schools and the new high school. Ai3 was one of four finalists, and narrowly got the top ranking by the nine members of the committee. Each firm presented ideas for how they would approach building the school.

Around Town

Community Forum on Watertown High School to Discuss Traffic Studies, Swing Space

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Ai3 ArchtiectsA rendering of what the new Watertown High School will look like (note the colors have not been settled). The latest community forum for the Watertown High School project will include a discussion of the final traffic studies for both the new WHS and the temporary location at Moxley Field. The forum, which is the 10th for the project, will be held on Wednesday, May 18 at approximately 7 p.m. It will follow the School Building Committee meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. Participants can join remotely via Zoom. Other subjects will include review of the swing space projects, a look at the project schedule and there will be an opportunity for questions and comments. The presentation for the forum will be posted on the Watertown Building for the Future site prior to the meeting.

Schools

Demolition of Old Hosmer School Will Impact Neighbors; Placement of Solar Panels Discussed

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Charlie BreitroseThe new Hosmer School opened in February but the old section still stands. It will be soon be deomolished. The brand new Hosmer Elementary School recently opened its doors, but the main classroom building of the old one remains standing. It will soon be torn down and it will have some impacts on the neighborhood, including cutting off water for a period. Tom Finnegan from Hill International told the School Building Committee on Wednesday that the demolition of the old building will soon begin.

Government

Council Approves Borrowing $198 Million for State of the Art, Green Watertown High School

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Ai3 ArchtiectsA rendering of what the new Watertown High School will look like (note the colors have not been settled). The City Council approved borrowing $198 million to construct the new school. School and City officials hailed the City Council’s approval of funding to build the new Watertown High School as an important step not just for the students of Watertown, but the community as a whole. Tuesday night’s approval of the borrowing of $198.8 million opens the way for the final planning and construction of a state-of-the-art, and energy efficient building to be constructed on the site of the current school. The figure covers the cost of construction, plus the creation of temporary swing space at Moxley Field.

Schools

Outdoor Spaces Planned for High School Project, Committee Wants More Details

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Ai3 ArchitectsThe outdoor space around the new Watertown High School will include an amphitheater west of the school, an outdoor learning area to the east, and a grassy area to the south. Designs for the new Watertown High School are coming together, but the School Building Committee would like some more specifics about the area east of the school. Landscape architects made some changes of the outdoor area along Common Street, said Arthur Eddy of Traverse at the Feb. 16 School Building Committee meeting. “You asked us to reduce paving within the site along Common Street,” Eddy said.

Schools

Community Forum to be Held on Watertown High School Project This Week

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Ai3 ArchitectsAn illustration of what the outside of the new Watertown High School will look like. A Community Forum to discuss the Watertown High School project will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 6 p.m.

The meeting will be held virtually on Zoom, and will also be broadcast on Watertown Cable. The forum is the ninth one focused on the new WHS, according to the announcement from the School Building Committee. The most recent plan, which would cost an estimated $198 million, calls for the old school to be torn down and the new one constructed on the same site.

Government

Upgrades to Softball Facilities Planned at O’Connell Field as Part of Hosmer School Project

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Ai3 ArchitectsA map of the proposed additions to O’Connell Field, shown in yellow. The white pathways are already in the plans. The athletic fields at O’Connell Field will likely be getting some upgrades as part of the construction of the new Hosmer Elementary School, but some neighbors are concerned about the loss of green space and other issues. At Wednesday night’s School Building Committee meeting, designers presented a preliminary design for upgrades to O’Connell Field, which runs along Mt. Auburn Street in front of the Brigham House and sits next to Hosmer’s playground.

Schools

Watertown High School Project Remains On Budget Even With Expanded Gym, Increase in Construction Costs

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Ai3 ArchitectsThe size of the gym at the new Watertown High School has been increased by more than 3,200 sq. ft. so it can fit two, full-sized basketball courts. Planning for the new Watertown High School is approaching a critical stage when State officials will lock in the project budget. The School Building Committee learned this week that the new school remains under the $200 million target even accounting for increasing cost of construction and expanding the size of the gym.