A rendering released in April shows the new Agawam High School.
Reminder Publishing file photo
AGAWAM — With Phase 1 of the new high school project fast approaching, Agawam Mayor Christopher Johnson provided updates about how the construction process will impact student parking during the School Committee’s Feb. 25 meeting.
The expectation is that the current Agawam High School location will become a construction site after April vacation, which means the school will lose 90-100 spaces in total, Johnson said.
More specifically, according to a daily count from high school administrators, approximately 30 to 40 spaces are currently vacant at the school, which means students will lose access to 50 spaces during all phases of construction.
“Unfortunately, there’s not any spots on the existing site where we can reproduce that,” Johnson said. “It’s going to essentially mean that there’s going to be less student parking passes handed out.”
School Committee student representative Christina Ritter asked if the Agawam Methodist Church across the street could hold more spaces for students during construction periods, but Johnson said school officials have concerns about students crossing Mill Street during peak rush hours.
Johnson added that the town experienced similar parking difficulties in the 1990s when the high school pursued renovations. At the time, some students made private arrangements with the funeral home across the street to use their lower lot, but Johnson said that practice is unsanctioned by the town and would require insurance certificates and a policing of private property, so it is not something they want to pursue now.
When construction time comes, Johnson said seniors will have priority for parking passes.
“As the juniors get their driver’s license, the number of them towards the end of the school year goes up,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately, we’re not going to be able to accommodate as many of those as we have in the past.”
Parking is not the only thing impacted by impending high school project. Johnson noted during the meeting that future construction will also influence pick-up and drop-off times at the high school, so he encourages students to use the bus more often so they can arrive to school on time.
“We’re going to try to communicate that to the parents because once the construction gets into earnest, you’re not going to be able to stay on your same timeline and leave your house at the same time in the morning because it’s going to take you longer to get on and get off the site,” Johnson said. “So that’s why we’re trying to really encourage parents to take advantage of bus service that’s offered.”
A comprehensive informational sheet about parking and student drop-off/pick-up times will be administered to families in mid-March before April construction officially begins, Johnson said.
In the meantime, readers can learn more about the project’s timeline by visiting agawamhsproject.com.
