See When Renovation Projects to be Presented to Watertown’s Elementary Schools

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The latest vision for the new addition at Hosmer Elementary School includes an area enclosed by glass and other materials.

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The latest vision for the new addition at Hosmer Elementary School includes an area enclosed by glass and other materials.

Parents and neighbors of Watertown’s three elementary schools will get to see what is in store for their buildings during the upcoming renovation projects, and they will have a chance to give their feedback. 

The district’s architect and the School Building Committee will present the current plans at meetings held at the individual schools.

The first meeting will be at Cunniff Elementary School on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. Next will be Hosmer Elementary School on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. Lowell Elemenatary School’s meeting will be on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 6 p.m.

Parents will be notified through announcements sent out by their children’s schools, while nearby residents will be sent a notice of the meeting, said Town Council President Mark Sideris, who is also chair of the School Building Committee.

The most significant changes will be at Hosmer, where the main classroom building will be torn down, and a new one will be built onto the cafeteria/auditorium building on the side facing Mt. Auburn Street.

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An overhead view of Cunniff Elementary School showing the locations where borings will be drilled to check the soil under the proposed school addition.

Lowell will have a few small additions, including a classroom wing near George Street, an expanded cafeteria, and an additional physical education area next to the gym. Parking has also been proposed to be added along George Street, on the edge of the playing field.

At Cunniff, the one story wing in the back of the school will be torn down and an addition will be built on that area and part of the playing field.

The existing sections of the buildings at all three schools will be renovated. Some will be spruced up, while others will be torn down to the studs and completely redone.

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Architects have proposed adding parking at Lowell Elementary School along George Street. The footprint of the proposed additions is also shown.

Town Manager Michael Driscoll said the Town Budget allows for  spending $80 to $120 million without having to have a tax increase. Over the summer, however, cost estimates came in higher than first projected by a different architecture firm.  Sideris said the School Building Committee will have figure out how much it will cost and then send a request to the Town Manager for additional money.

Conceptual drawings of the projects can be seen on the School Building Projects website: watertownschoolsproject.com

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