Schools

Construction Costs for Watertown’s School Building Projects Up Several Million Dollars

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The latest cost estimates for the renovation/rebuilding of Watertown’s three elementary schools are up several million since the last estimate presented to the School Building Committee. On Wednesday night, the project manager and architect presented their latest, best estimate of how much it will cost to renovate and rebuild Hosmer, Lowell and Cunniff elementary schools. The cost of the construction would be $122 million ($56.5 million for Hosmer, $31.67 million for Cunniff and $33.8 million for Lowell) and the additional costs would bring the total up to an estimated $153 million, said Project Manager Shane Nolan of Daedalus Projects. This is an increase of about $5.8 million from the estimate presented in August. About $1 million of the cost increase in the construction budget comes from a change to the project scope to include replacement of all existing windows and doors at Lowell and Cunniff, said architect Scott Dunlap of Ai3 Architects.

Cunniff School

Elementary, High School Projects Take Steps Forward at School Building Committee

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Two votes by the School Building Committee on Wednesday night moved the projects at Watertown’s three elementary schools and at the high school a step closer to being a reality. The projects to renovate and make additions to Hosmer, Lowell and Cunniff elementary schools, which have schematic designs, are ahead of the Watertown High School project, for which designs have yet to be drawn up. High School Project
Wednesday night, the School Building Committee, which oversees the projects, gave its approval to spend $1.6 million on the preliminary design and hiring an owner’s project manager for the WHS project. The Town Council will be asked to give final approval for the money at its Nov. 13 meeting, said Superintendent Dede Galdston.

Cunniff School

Architects Reveal New Design for Hosmer School, Parking Plan for Lowell School

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The designs for Watertown’s three elementary schools have started to become more solid, and in the near future school officials will present them to the communities in and around the schools. Architect Scott Dunlap from Ai3 presented the most recent designs at last week’s School Building Committee meeting. The biggest change comes at Hosmer Elementary School, where the latest design shows a large glassed in area on the northeast corner of the school. “It is an element we are introducing into the front of the building,” Dunlap said. “We are not saying that the glass will go all the way across.

Schools

School Building Committee Split Over What New Hosmer School Should Look Like

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A vision for what the new Hosmer Elementary School might look like was presented to the School Building Committee last week, and members had a variety of opinions. There are already a mix of styles on the site, including the Brigham House (formerly East Junior High and before that Watertown High School), along with the 1960s era section with the auditorium, and the 2002 addition that connects that area to the old classroom building. That building will be torn down and a new building will be constructed. Architect Scott Dunlap of Ai3 presented conceptual drawings for the new building, which showed a three story building with clapboard style siding  — red is some areas and white in others —  topped by pitched roofs and a cupola. “We are not attempting to match it with the Brigham House or the exiting Hosmer,” Dunlap said.

Schools

School Building Committee Meeting Three Times in August

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School may be out for summer, but the planning for the reconstruction of Watertown’s three elementary schools will still be in session. The School Building Committee, which oversees the design and construction of Hosmer, Lowell and Cunniff elementary schools, has three meetings scheduled in August. The group is scheduled to meet on Aug. 1, 15 and 29, but the meeting on the 15th may conflict with a School Committee meeting. The School Building Committee meets at 6 p.m. in the Council Chamber in Town Hall.

Schools

Conceptual Designs for Renovation of Watertown’s Elementary Schools Approved

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Details of what Watertown’s three elementary schools will look like after they are renovated came more into focus Thursday when the School Building Committee approved the conceptual designs for Hosmer, Cunniff and Lowell elementary schools. With the approval, the architects from Ai3 will move onto the schematic design phase of the project. The conceptual designs provide a guide for where designers will put new additions and which areas will be renovated inside the existing buildings, said Scott Dunlap, principal of Ai3. He added, however, that architects are still “pushing and pulling” the floor plans inside the buildings. Thursday’s meeting began with a walk through of the Hosmer site, where Ai3 had staked out the corners of the proposed new school building that would be built in front of the building with the auditorium and gym, ask you look from Mt.

Schools

Town Seeking 2 Residents to Be Part of School Building Committee

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Tuesday night, Town Manager Michael Driscoll announced the members of the School Building Committee, which will include school and town officials, as well as two members of the public. 

The Building Committee will represent the town/school in the projects to renovate or rebuild the three elementary schools and Watertown High School. The town will fund the three elementary school projects, while the it will work with the state to fund the high school renovation/reconstruction. The members of the School Building Committee will be:

Two Town Councilors
Two School Committee members
Town Manager Michael Driscoll or his representative
Superintendent of Schools Deanne Galdston
Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Mary DeLai
Town Auditor Tom Tracy
Director of Public Buildings Lori Kabel
School Principals as ex officio members, and
Two members of the public with architectural or engineering experience

Selecting the Two Members of the Public
The Town Manager sent out the following announcement:

Town Manager Michael Driscoll is seeking two Watertown citizens interested in serving on the School Building Committee. The committee is being formed to oversee the renovation and expansion of Watertown School buildings related to the Building for the Future initiative. Building for the Future is a comprehensive, forward-looking initiative to address learning, operational, and capacity improvements for all school facilities.