Residents in Amherst, Massachusetts are marking a major milestone as work continues on a new, net-zero energy elementary school designed to serve almost 600 students.
It will be another year before the new Fort River Elementary School is ready for its first classes, but the nearly $100 million project is coming along – so much so that locals gathered Tuesday to see the structure's final beam lifted and fitted into place.
For @WAMCNews: Residents in Amherst, Mass., marked a major milestone as work continues on a new, net-zero energy elementary school designed to serve almost 600 students. pic.twitter.com/W9AW4Asx5J
— James Paleologopoulos (@WAMC_J_Paleo) May 22, 2025
Sitting beside the current-Fort River Elementary School, the incoming, three-story facility will take in students from both its namesake and Wildwood Elementary.
As Town Manager Paul Bockelman tells WAMC, given the cost of repairing and maintaining both, especially as enrollment declines – a merger made the most sense and presented a green opportunity.
“We have two schools that were built in the 70s that have leaky roofs, failing boiler systems, all kinds of mold issues - and this one school will replace those two schools in one, net-zero building that will generate all of its own electricity on site,” he said.
Amherst residents overwhelmingly approved of the idea in 2023, when they voted on a debt exclusion override, says Town Councilor Cathy Schoen.
“More than 80 percent of the town of Amherst residents voted to increase their taxes to pay for this school,” the chair of the Elementary School Building Committee explained. “[It]shows you the kind of unity there is in the town about kids, about children and about the building we showed them.”
In addition to municipal funding, the Massachusetts School Building Authority is kicking in close to $50 million for the effort.
Schoen says the final product – designed for students in kindergarten through 5th grade – will feature classrooms that get plenty of daylight compared to the older schools’ layouts, plus outside learning facilities and more.
“We made a real emphasis on ‘You shouldn’t be in a dark room if you’re learning’ and you want to see the sunlight,” the councilor said. “And you can learn outside! We've got children's gardens outside, we have play space, which is covered from the sun, and learning space - an amazing playground that's fully-accessible and we have playing fields and trails. It's going to be both an experience for the children, but also for adults who come to this site.”
There’s also the matter of saving on utilities. The 105,000-square-foot facility will draw power and heat from solar panels and 85 geothermal wells, according to construction publications.
It’s slated to be the town’s first net-zero municipal building, officials say. The town broke ground on the project last year as groundwork got underway, though significant construction work didn’t start until a few months ago.
The project was the subject of a bid protest over the winter as the town moved forward with CTA Construction Managers, LLC of Waltham. The company pitched it could do the construction job for $73.48 million – saving the town $4.8 million on associated costs.
Accusations of ineligibility by a competing bidder led to the state stepping in, ultimately clearing the town to sign a contract.
Amherst State Representative Mindy Domb tells WAMC that, as a parent of two students who went through the current Fort River Elementary, the new building is a testament to the town’s emphasis on education.
“Amherst is a town whose symbol is a book and a plow, and that tells you everything you need to know about Amherst - it recognizes our agricultural history and present, but also our appreciation, our strong commitment to public education and to the process of learning, inquiry, asking questions, coming to consensus, this is this community,” she said at Tuesday’s ceremony. “It's not only because we're a host to three institutions of higher learning, but… this building is also sort of a representation of our commitment to public education and making sure that every child in our town has the same opportunity to excel, to grow, to imagine, to dream.”
While the new building will house the majority of Fort River and Wildwood students, officials say sixth graders at both schools will be moved to Amherst Regional Middle School.
