Caolo and Bieniek Architects Principal and Project Architect Bert Garnder gives a presentation on potential sites and updates to the Anna E. Barry Elementary project.
Reminder Publishing screen capture by Tyler Garnet
CHICOPEE — At the Feb. 19 School Committee meeting, Caolo and Bieniek Architects Principal and Project Architect Bert Garnder met with the School Committee to give a presentation on potential sites and updates to the Anna E. Barry Elementary project.
One year since Chicopee Public Schools received the OK from the Massachusetts School Building Authority to move forward into the next phase of its proposal for renovating or constructing a new building, the Chicopee School Committee and city received an update on the progress so far.
In February 2024, the MSBA met to discuss inviting five schools into a feasibility study showing that they have completed the necessary prerequisites including the filing of its educational profile questionnaire, finalizing enrollment and securing feasibility study schematic design funds.
The MSBA and Chicopee Public Schools will partner to conduct a feasibility study for replacing the Anna E. Barry Elementary School.
With the feasibility study also comes the schematic design phase to either renovate or replace the existing school building.
School Department leadership, staff, parents and community members recently participated in a visioning and programming session led by Educational Planner Mike Pirollo and Educational Consultant Paul White from MLP Integrated Design, along with Caolo and Bieniek Architects.
Each session was part of a collaborative process designed to inform the Barry Elementary School feasibility study and pre-design process. Utilizing school tours, observational building walkthroughs with school leadership, program verification meetings and visioning sessions, participants worked through a step-by-step process aimed at capturing their high-level thinking around goals, priorities and vision for the new school.
This will help MSBA write an education program with a consultant to be utilized and define education program at the new or renovated Barry School.
“The educational program is going to define every single piece of the educational program that happens at this school. Every space in the building is kind of defined as [what’s] needed to support your teaching at this school. This document is really important and the city is well underway with it. That’s going to be our blueprint on how we design this school,” Gardner said.
Gardner noted that part of the MSBA’s process is studying a base repair, adding renovation and new construction option which is all based on the existing Barry School site.
While studying the current Barry School site, Gardner said there are no other feasible options that would avoid an Article 97 action at Garity Grove Park.
Garity Grove Park and Barry School are built on the same site and Article 97 is an open land act which establishes a right to a clean environment including its natural, scenic, historical and aesthetic qualities for the citizens of the commonwealth.
According to mass.gov, “Article 97 also declares the conservation of natural resources a public purpose and provides that land or easements subject to Art. 97 shall not be used for other purposes or disposed of without a two-thirds roll call vote of the Legislature.”
Part of the Article 97 process is that an alternative analysis must be conducted to prove to the state that all the options have been researched and there are no other feasible options that would avoid an Article 97 action at Garity Grove Park.
Investigation of alternate sites is an expected part of the MSBA feasibility study, regardless of Article 97 issues, according to Gardner, and since the project is initially considering Garrity Grove Park as the primary site for the Barry School project, the analysis of the alternative sites will be used to form an alternatives analysis in support of potential Article 97 action.
After looking at other potential sites throughout the city, Gardner said, “We’ve kind of narrowed it down to three that we might think could have potential to support a school.”
Those sites include Garrity Grove Park, behind the Szetela Early Childhood Center and 0 Robbins Rd., within the Chicopee Business Development Park.
Gardner went through the pros and cons of each site and no official decision has been made or voted on. He just wanted to share his findings within the process.
From the beginning of the project, Mayor John Vieau and the School Department made it clear that they are seeking the best interest of the city’s schools and are relying on the feasibility process to ensure the educational and community goals are supported to the greatest extent possible, while maximizing the MSBA’s reimbursement rate though their grant to the city.
The preliminary alternatives analysis information is a recent internal work product and has not been presented to the School Building Committee or confirmed with city leadership as of the School Committee meeting.
The group was scheduled to meet with the School Building Committee on Feb. 20.
For the next steps, Gardner said they are going to submit their preliminary design program in May, instead of March, and explained, “Which in the scheme of your four to five year project really, it’s two months, it’s not going to make a big difference. Oftentimes if it comes down to it, we can make that up in other phases of the project.”
Gardner said a presentation has to be shown to the MSBA about the preferred schematic report before being approved to enter the schematic design phase.
Gardner also stated that he anticipates the next phase — the schematic design — will not take place until next spring, when the project scope and budget agreement will also be discussed.
“It’s typically a five to six year process from when we get involved but well worth it. I love watching the communities once they get to move into their new building,” Gardner concluded.
