Mayor Michael McCabe, Richard Simons, Susan Townsend and Leonard Sabia. Simons and Townsend attended Fort Meadow in the 1950s.
Reminder Publishing photo by Amy Porter
WESTFIELD — Among the interested parties who attended the walkthrough of the Fort Meadow school at 35 White St. on Aug. 7 were several former students who were greeted at the entrance by Mayor Michael McCabe and Leonard Sabia, the city’s director of facilities.
The former early childhood center is currently out to bid after it closed in fall 2025. The School Committee’s decision followed a years-long study that determined the 100-year-old building was in need of an estimated $2-3 million in rehabilitation to continue as a school. The building had served as a preschool center since 1988.
John Fisher went to Fort Meadow in 1940. When he first arrived, he asked Sabia if he could go in and walk through the building one more time. Sabia said Fisher welled up with memories before he drove off in his pickup truck.
Richard Simons, who attended third grade at Fort Meadow in 1955, also visited the walkthrough. He had just moved to town that year, and the Southampton Road School had not yet opened. He said he hadn’t been inside the building in 70 years.
Simons was accompanied by Susan Townsend, who started kindergarten at Fort Meadow in 1952, when she remembered getting a polio vaccine, and attended through sixth grade.
Simons remembered the names of her teachers and the location of each classroom. Entering the auditorium, she said, “That’s where we sang God Bless America.” She pointed out the room where she learned to play the flute with Mr. Ward.
She said her principal was Mr. Schoenrock, and pointed to his office. Simons said that was the only principal’s office he didn’t visit in his early school years.
Fort Meadow was built in 1916, and always served the city as a school, McCabe said.
The city of Westfield has put the 20,880-square-foot building on a 2.5-acre lot zoned Residence C, assessed at $1.359 million, out for purchase.
Official bid specifications and requirements may be found at cityofwestfield.org/bids.aspx?bidID=451. Specifications may be received at, and proposals sent to, the Purchasing Director’s office, 59 Court St. in Westfield. Proposals must be clearly marked on the outside of the envelope: “Purchase of 35 White Street- BID #27-002.”
All proposals must be in the Purchasing Office no later than Friday, Aug. 21, at 10 a.m. No proposals will be accepted after the above-stated date and hour. The city of Westfield reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals if it appears to be in the public interest to do so.
