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Public Wowed During First Look at New Cunniff School, Officials Celebrate With Ribbon Cutting

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Charlie BreitroseThe public gathered outside the new Cunniff Elementary School before open house on Tuesday. The first impression of the new Cunniff Elementary School may have best been captured by the boy who yelled, “Oh, my God!” loud enough to be heard despite the fact he was in a car with all the windows up. A few hundred Watertown residents celebrated the opening of the new elementary school on Warren Street on Tuesday afternoon. After a few remarks and a ribbon cutting, the visitors got a chance to walk around the new school.

Schools

Council Approves $5 Million to “Bridge” Watertown High School Project Before Start of Construction

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Ai3 ArchitectsA mockup of what the main entrance to the new Watertown High School could look like from a presentation designers made to the School Building Committee in September 2021. As the new Watertown High School continues to be designed, the Town Council approved $5.2 million to bridge the gap before the final approval of funding is given by the state and to keep construction on schedule. The money will help pay for the design of the swing spaces that will be used while the school is under construction, as well as to cover the increased amount of time that it took to come up with the final design, Christy Murphy of Compass Project Management told the Council Tuesday night. The money to cover the $5.2 million came out of the Watertown High School Stabilization Fund, said Town Manager Michael Driscoll said. The Council voted 8-0 to support the use of the funds.

Around Town

Construction at Cunniff School Nearing Completion, See Photos Inside New Building

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Charlie BreitroseLight pours into the cafetorium at the new Cunniff Elementary School. The room has a stage as well as a full kitchen to prepare lunch for students. Watertown officials who got an inside look at the new Cunniff Elementary School gazed around in amazement at the nearly completed school building on Tuesday afternoon. Watertown Public School officials broke ground on the school on Warren Street on June 24, 2020, and the school is expected to open in mid-October 2021. Charlie BreitroseA view of the length of the new Cunniff Elementary School, with the cafetorium/gym entrance extending out at the end.

Schools

School Building Committee Leans Toward Single Building on Current High School Site

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A rendering of what a two-story modular building could look like (in white) on Moxley Field. It would be the temporary location for Watertown High School while a new school is constructed. Watertown Middle School can be seen behind the modular campus. The School Building Committee told designers that they like the direction they are going with a single building on the current site for the new Watertown High School. That design would require students to go to a swing space during construction, and Moxley Field has been identified as the preferred temporary site.

Schools

New High School Design Fits on Current Site; Would Cost Less & be Finished Sooner

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A rendering of what the new Watertown High School could look like. The view is from Common Street. Architects unveiled a new concept for the new Watertown High School that would keep the school in one building located on its current site. It would also be cheaper and would have a shorter construction period. The new plans would include building a temporary campus, likely next to Watertown Middle School.

Building for the Future

Good Reviews for 3-Story WHS Design, Call to Move Non-School Functions Out

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A drawing of what the new Watertown High School could look like. The illustration of option 3D-4 shows a three-story main academic building, and a faded image of how tall it would be if it were four stories. The three-story design for the new Watertown High School got good reviews from the School Building Committee and residents who tuned into the meeting Wednesday night. Also, there were calls for the District Administration offices and the Facilities Department to another location to free up room at WHS. The main academic building, proposed the property where the Phillips School and Senior Center now sit, was shortened by a story after concerns were raised about how big it would be compared to the surrounding neighborhood at a meeting in October.

Schools

Height of New High School Concerns Neighbors, Residents Want Parking for Senior Center

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One of the options for how Watertown High School may sit on the current site, on the left, and across the street where now the Phillips Building and the Senior Center sit. The architect said the illustration is for massing, and not the design of the buildings. Residents who saw the latest proposal for the new Watertown High School were put-off by the size of the academic building that would be built on the site of the Phillips School and Senior Center, under the currently scenario currently favored by the School Building Committee. The plans were presented during the fourth Community Forum for the WHS project, held virtually on Oct. 8.

Schools

Building Committee Eliminates Potential Location for New High School

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A rendering of Option 1A, where Watertown High School’s academic building would be built on the current site, and would have a large green space in front along Columbia Street. The design of the new high school has not been settled, but Watertown High School will not be built on Victory Field. The School Building Committee voted Wednesday, Sept. 2, to eliminate options for the new school to go on the sports and field complex on Orchard Street. The Committee also saw some scenarios where the main academic building would be built on the current WHS site.