NEWBURYPORT — It will cost anywhere from $24 million to $30 million to build a 90,000- to 110,000-square-foot building to replace Bresnahan Elementary School, according to principals of four architectural firms bidding to design the new educational complex.
That's the going rate to build a model school that includes spaces for state-of-the-art media centers, cafeterias, gymnasiums and classrooms that embrace new ideals for optimal learning to prepare students for the 21st century.
Each of the four architectural firms vying for the design contract had its own vision for what the new Bresnahan should look like. The school will house the city's pre-kindergarten through third-grade students,
The four firms presented their model school design proposals to the public over the past two nights. Vying for the contract are JCJ Architecture of Boston, which designed Northeast Academy in Groton, Conn.; Flansburgh Architects of Boston, which designed Chickering Elementary in Dover; Kaestle Boos Associates of Foxborough, which designed Bournedale Elementary in Bourne; and HMFH Architects in Cambridge, which designed East Fairhaven Elementary in Fairhaven.
Following the final presentation last night, the School Building Committee met to review the presentations and determine which firm's design best suits the needs of the community, with a goal of reaching consensus on which firm to recommend to Mayor Donna Holaday for her approval by the end of the meeting, By press time, no decision had been reached. In the event more deliberation is needed, the committee is prepared to hold one last meeting tonight to pore over the details and make a decision.
The school project still requires the approval of voters, who will go to the polls in the spring to decide whether to fund the city's share of the construction costs.
The Massachusetts School Building Authority's model school program, for which Newburyport has been selected to participate, is aimed at cutting costs for school construction projects. Under the plan, the city will receive funding for up to 50 percent of the project cost from the MSBA.
The MSBA recommended four model schools to serve as a basis for Newburyport's new elementary school. The architectural firms behind the four models created designs suited to the city that could be adapted to provide extra class space for a proposed pre-kindergarten through kindergarten wing, would reserve enough land to house at least one regulation-size baseball field, retain a portion of the existing Bresnahan on site for use as a senior center and allow for the construction of the new school while the current elementary school is in session.
Design proposals also took into consideration a desire by Newburyport officials to create a single entrance for all students, as opposed to the current configuration that has buses and parents dropping off and picking up children from two separate spots.
"This creates complexities for security and makes it a little more difficult to establish a clear identity and sense of community for the school," a principal from HMFH Architect told the public Tuesday night. "While we would anticipate that there would still be two separate drives, two separate ways to the surrounding streets and separate drop-off loops for buses and parents, the site layout we envision has the parent and bus drop-offs adjacent to one another in the front of the school where students will mingle together into a single main entrance into the building for all."
While the model school program dictates certain requirements, architects assured residents there was plenty of room for adaptation to meet the city's unique needs. Officials could decide to replace building materials with ones that mirror the historic aesthetic of the city, incorporate rooftops that blend with the surrounding environment, create a smoother flow between the school's High and North Atkinson street entrances and increase parking.
The four architectural firms competing for the job also included green design elements that would result in a more energy-efficient school than what currently exists.
Kaestle Boos Associates' design called for "green and sustainable design elements throughout the facility, including solar photovoltaic panels, a displacement ventilation system that keeps the school environment comfortable year-round and is cost-effective to operate, daylight harvesting and automatic daylight dimming controls and a storm water capture system for irrigation."
Similar green features were included in the other proposals, with Flansburgh promising its proposed green features would reduce the school's annual energy costs by 35 percent and meet the MSBA's requirements for an incentive reimbursement to the city for implementing energy-efficient measures.
Each firm designed spaces intended to maximize learning, with features ranging from interactive white boards and LCD projectors in every classroom, cafetoriums that serve as dual-purpose meeting spaces and media centers outfitted with the latest technological capabilities.
Natural light was also a frequent element in the designs. JCJ Architecture's proposed entryway, based on a similar model it designed in Groton, Conn., was constructed almost entirely of impact- and weather-resistant windows.
"Everyone loves it at sunrise and sunset, and during the day," Greg Smolley of JCJ Architecture said of the building's custom look, which he said can be adapted with fewer windows and more brick to minimize maintenance and reduce overall costs.
In Flansburgh's design, classrooms would be infused with natural light and equipped with recesses where students could retreat from the group for differentiated learning time. Jay Williams said the entry, or core, of the building featured skylights and windows that would allow natural light to extend deep into the building.
"We try to make it a welcoming building and make it not seem as institutional as some school buildings," Williams said.
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