As long-running plans come together to merge two aging middle schools in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, residents got a chance to check in on the project.
Posters showing timelines, screens with renderings, and tables loaded with pamphlets filled the Williams Middle School gymnasium Thursday night.
On display – the latest updates on the “Longmeadow Middle School” project that would see the school merge with nearby Glenbrook Middle School, plus a new, modern facility built on the Williams site.
Marty O’Shea, Superintendent of Longmeadow Public Schools, tells WAMC the idea of either repairing or renovating both middle schools goes back decades – but it was eight years ago when things came into focus.
“It goes back to 2017, when the town commissioned a study to look at the condition of our two middle schools, and sort of the conclusion there was that they were essentially at the end of their useful life, and that we needed a solution,” he said. “Knowing that we had one school, Glenbrook, that opened in 1967, another school, Williams, that opened in 1959, and neither really had experienced any significant renovation, it was really time to address the needs in a systemic way of the two schools, and, coincidentally, the thought of combining our two middle schools into one had a tremendous amount of educational advantages as well.”
"Old school," but badly outdated
Both currently serve about 330 students each while sharing various staff and services and, according to designers and town leaders, both were built for a model of education that’s now long-gone.
Dorrie Brooks, Principal of Jones Whitsett Architects, tells WAMC her firm has been putting together designs for a 134,735-square foot, two-story facility to replace them – one drastically different from the literal “old school” layout at Williams.
“Everything about this school says ‘factory education,’ everything says ‘Here's your locker, sit in your chair, go to lunch, go home,’” Brooks said. “It just doesn't speak to the kind of education that schools are trying to provide today, where students are learning how to be independent learners, how to be collaborative thinkers, how to prepare for any change in the economy ahead,” she said, also referencing how input from educators shaped the proposed, current layout. “So, you want a school that creates that potential for students to develop resiliency as learners - that was the word the teachers used the most early on, they wanted kids to develop confidence as learners.”
The most recent floor plan updates show a school containing “Core Academic Spaces” nestled in several “academic wings” that include special education classrooms and administrative offices.
Meanwhile, arts and music-focused spaces make up another section that would be home to an auditorium, gym and dining spaces.
The project could cost as much as $151 million according to previous estimates, with an "estimated local share target limit" of about $108 million, officials say. Massachusetts School Building Authority reimbursements would likely cover about a third of the project.
O’Shea says the hope is to have the project’s full scope – and its budget – go before residents at a future town meeting. According to documents handed out at Thursday's event, a "final Scope and Budget agreement" is expected to be signed with the MSBA in June.
New facilities a plus for some, parking and traffic a concern for others
In the meantime, some who attended Thursday’s presentations were upbeat, like Laura Brown.
“I actually attended Williams Middle School, way back when. The school was falling apart when I attended, so I'm very excited for the new middle school to be built,” she told WAMC. “My daughter is currently a first grader at Blueberry [Hill School], so she'll be able to attend the new middle school, so I'm very in support of this new project.”
The proposal does have some residents concerned, however. Issues like the potential influx of traffic and parked cars waiting to pick up students were brought up at a town meeting last year.
The meeting featured a non-binding resolution on the matter, asking voters to effectively affirm interest in the project or say “nay.” The result was heavily in the affirmative, but concerns for some still linger, says Longmeadow Town Manager Lyn Simmons.
“I think, generally, people are more supportive of it, but there's certainly those that have questions or concerns about how we're going to accommodate additional students on the Williams campus, what it's going to do to parking and traffic, and so all of that is still being worked out with our architects and the Middle School Building Committee, and we welcome all of the resident and citizen input into how we can make sure that this is the best site for the community.”
Taking in the info stations devoted to the project’s designs, educational opportunities and even its geothermal aspect, resident Richard Bistran says he feels good about what he saw.
But he says if project proponents want to get the word out and convince voters to greenlight funding, getting locals to tour the schools would be a help. He should know, he says – tours made a difference when it came time to pitch the public on replacing the high school a decade ago.
Bistran served on the project’s committee and says people who saw the old school had plenty of reasons to approve what would become the new one.
“They walked out surprised that our kids were going to a high school like this,” he said, referencing the former school built in the 50s, with several additions made over the years. “I mentioned, too, that at that time, we were going to lose accreditation unless we had plans to build a new high school. It wasn't based upon the learning abilities and the teaching – it was based upon the building condition … that’s what they need to do for this - run tours of both this structure and the other structure down the street, and let the people see it.”
Hoping to replace lines of chipped lockers, deteriorating gym rafters and corridors that don’t see much sunlight, Brooks says the current floor plan features more daylight and distinct “academic neighborhoods,” wings devoted to sixth, seventh and eighth grade, and infrastructure for community events and programming.
According to an informational pamphlet, residents will be asked this fall to “vote for or against the debt obligation for the project” during a special election, as O’Shea mentioned.
If all approvals are in place, the estimated start of construction is fall 2026, with a move-in slated for summer 2028.
