SWAMPSCOTT — Roughly 50 parents filled the library at Swampscott High School Saturday morning to receive updates from architect firm Lavallee Bresinger about the town’s potential plans to replace Hadley Elementary School with a new building.
“Schools are complex. There are a lot of little moving parts,” community architect Anne Ketterer said as she addressed the logistics of what building an updated school would entail.
“Schools don’t look the way they used to look, and we don’t teach the way we used to teach 50 years ago,” she said, “which is when your town last built an elementary school.”
Saturday’s meeting was the second this week as the team works to create plan options for the new school, which will be partially funded by the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
Team project manager Paul Kalous went through a brief timeline for the project, which in total spans between now and 2024. He also emphasized the importance of parental input as the architectural team conducts its feasibility study now through October.
“The most important part of this process is right now, while it’s being planned,” he said.
“Between today and the next 10 months, we really need to hear from all of you.”
Concerns brought up by parents and educators included questions about how the old Hadley building would be used, how student enrollment would be distributed, and the ways a new school might affect traffic.
New Swampscott resident Amanda Solinsky said her biggest concern moving forward was building an inclusive facility that can accommodate the town’s needs as they change.
“My highest priority is to make sure what we end up with has great value, and that it is first and foremost a great place for learning,” Solinsky, who has a son in preschool, said.
“I want a continuously great school system that sets kids up for success in the future. That includes school buildings that are set up for equity and inclusion, so … a school built for the changing needs of a community.”
Accessibility and sustainability were two topics the design team also focused on in their presentation. Ketterer told parents the team’s plans include facilities equipped to provide children with disabilities equal access to education, as well as building materials that allow the facility to operate with diminished environmental impact while incorporating outdoor learning opportunities.
“We want to have a wonderful building with a great landscape so kids can learn outside as well as inside,” Ketterer said.
“We’ll find out from all of you, the teachers, and the kids what that’s going to look like.”
The next School Building Committee meeting will be held Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Swampscott High School.
