Renovation plans for Saugus school take shape

SAUGUS – Architects and planners are honing the details for a major upgrade of the Belmonte Middle School.”We’re moving forward and we’re very excited,” said School Committee Chairman Wendy Reed.”This is the town’s only middle school, built in 1964, and it needs some work to get it back into shape.”On Monday, the School Committee reviewed the preliminary plans and learned that the architectural firm Fletcher Thompson and senior project manager Daniel Tavares of Boston-based Skanska USA Building Corp. are expected to return with a cost estimate and renovation options by April 4 when the Belmonte Middle School Renovation Committee is slated to meet next.The team consists of the Board of Selectmen, the School Committee, school superintendent, school principal, town manager and a core group of parents.”The feasibility plan is nearly completed,” Reed said Wednesday.Town Manager Andrew Bisignani said the project budget is $12 million, explaining that 51 percent of the amount would be paid by the state agency Massachusetts School Building Assistance.”The town has already appropriated $350,000 for the feasibility study that covers design and other costs,” he said.The Belmonte Middle School is classified as a repair project project, he said.The school on Dow Street services over 700 students in grades 6-8. It suffers from drainage problems that frequently leave the gymnasium and other areas inside the school flooded. The concrete building is also poorly insulated and loses energy.According to Reed, the roof must be insulated from the inside to prevent heat from escaping. Infra-red scans show prevalent heat loss, she said.”We want to insulate the facade of the building. We also need to install new windows, mechanical, electrical and plumbing, and finally put in a sprinkler system. The sprinklers were never installed when the building was originally built in the mid-1960s because, back then, it was decided it was too expensive.”Reed said the interior renovations would also make the building handicapped accessible and in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.On the positive side, the school has big, sunny windows and skylights, especially in the library. Although the glass in the panes isn’t energy-efficient, once replaced with thermal panels the radiant heat allowed into the building should provide large quantities of natural light, she said.”In talking to the architect, it’s not as big a deal these days to get glass made to order. Apparently there are a lot of communities out there trying to replicate this kind of architecture, but it’s difficult to do and costly. If you put in a skylight, you’re talking about breaking through the roof,” she said. “We already have the skylights in place.”Bisignani said lockers, bathroom fixtures and lighting are included in the improvements. “There is no structural work being done, so it’s considered a repair project,” he said. “We already replaced the boiler.”The Department of Public Works has been making robotic video images of the drainage pipes extending out from the school. “It floods all year round down there,” said Reed. “We have to be pumping constantly. They’re trying to find out if the drain pipes are clogged or broken. We already know that they are very old.”