Foundation work on the new Elbridge Gerry Elementary School, scheduled through next week, will start giving residents a glimpse of the building’s dimensions and layout.
Concrete foundation work was tentatively scheduled through this week, according to the project update posted on the town website, with a construction crew scheduled to begin construction of the building retaining wall foundation on the site’s north end next week.
The new 83,000-square-foot school building is being built on the Baldwin Road location of the former Bell School. It will provide space for 450 kindergarten through third grade students and two pre-kindergarten classes. The building will include a media center, cafeteria gymnasium and stage space.
Site preparation work leading up to foundation construction included ledge excavation, utility and drainage work, and the start of footing and foundation work.
The school will replace the 114-year-old building closed by the town in 2018 and sold to a condominium developer in May with architectural preservation stipulations set by the town.
A town building committee report prepared for Town Meeting in 2016 included a long list of deficiencies in the old Gerry School, including this stark conclusion: “Structural elements are beyond their lifespan.”
The building’s original roof leaked; hot water pipes were strapped together with wood and chicken wire; the windows were deteriorating and, the report stated “major systems are obsolete,” including the 63-year-old boiler.
Kindergarten classrooms were half the size recommended by state building officials and the school gym had an eight-foot ceiling.
