The current Anna E. Barry Elementary School.
Reminder Publishing file photo
CHICOPEE — Funding for the Anna E. Barry Elementary School project currently awaits City Council approval, but the School Committee recently backed the project.
During its Sept. 16 meeting, the committee endorsed the final project scope, schematic design and total budget for the new school’s construction as recommended by the Building Commission and approved by the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
The City Council now must approve the necessary funding for the project. Caolo and Bieniek Architects Principal and Project Architect Bert Gardner said if the vote fails, the MSBA process will have to restart, which can cause cost increases and delay the project’s completion by nine to 12 years.
Currently, the timeline is to have students move into the new building in September 2029.
Mayor John Vieau said the City Council will discuss and vote on the item during its first meeting on Oct. 6.
Gardner joined the Sept. 16 School Committee meeting to update the body on the project, answer questions and discuss the next steps.
The proposed project will replace the existing Anna E. Barry Elementary School with a new two-story building serving 340 students in grades kindergarten through grade 5, plus pre-kindergarten, on an alternative site adjacent to the Szetela Early Childhood Center.
Initially, there was a proposal on Garrity Grove, but due to deed restrictions, wetland restrictions and a provision in Article 97, Szetela offered a more viable option.
The current estimated total project budget is approximately $106.7 million. Chicopee started at the highest eligible reimbursement rate of 80% of eligible costs. After reviewing the project, MBSA approved a maximum reimbursement grant of approximately $57.6 million, which means the district share will be about $49.1 million.
The MSBA Board of Directors voted to approve a grant of up to $56.6 million for a new Anna E. Barry Elementary School on Aug. 26. The vote also moved the project toward design development.
Gardner said the final numbers are not official until construction is complete. He also stated that due to inflation, delaying the $106 million project by four years could increase the cost by $64 million.
According to Gardner, some residents have shared concerns about exhaust, air pollution and traffic because of the placement of two schools on a single site. He noted in his presentation that there will be an increase in traffic on the site, but the state and Chicopee both have idling laws in place, which the police can enforce.
He also said that Chicopee has pursued a $2.39 million grant to begin replacing existing buses with zero-emission electric buses, which are much quieter. The plan also includes tree buffers to absorb CO2 emissions and filter airborne pollutants, provide privacy and dampen sound transmission.
As part of traffic mitigation, Gardner said they don’t want any traffic spilling into Granby Road while parents drop off their children.
To that end, the proposed plan includes an extensive parent drop-off loop to make sure both schools can be accommodated on the site without any backup. School traffic will also be removed from the residential neighborhoods because a new entrance will be built on the property.
The project also includes sidewalks near the school entrance to increase pedestrian safety and either a signalized intersection or a roundabout to slow the traffic. The roundabout solution is currently preferred by the city and most stakeholders, according to Gardner.
Vieau said he does not lobby for projects that are not within the purview of the mayor’s office or the city of Chicopee.
“Private projects are not lobbied by me, but this is a legacy project,” Vieau stated. “This is our first of 10 elementary schools that need to be replaced. This is the school that has come closest to reaching the end of its useful life.”
In the district’s statement of interest, Chicopee identified numerous deficiencies in the existing facility associated with mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, the building’s envelope and accessibility issues. In addition to the physical plant issues, the district reported that the existing facility does not support the delivery of its educational program.
Vieau also stated the city is equipped to handle the debt service, and the project won’t put a huge burden on taxpayers. He said he does not anticipate needing a Proposition 2 ½ override to fund the project.
