For years, the increasingly decrepit Monument Mountain Regional High School – student population roughly 430 – has been in need of an update.
“A building that was built in in the mid-60s and was designed a little earlier just didn't anticipate what was going to happen from an education perspective, from a safety perspective, from an energy and sustainability perspective," said Superintendent Peter Dillon of the Berkshire Hills Regional School District, which serves the Southern Berkshire communities of Great Barrington, Stockbridge, and West Stockbridge. “The building’s grandfathered to current building codes, but it doesn't have sprinklers, and that's a standard. It has too many doors and windows, and that's a safety concern. And it's using an old heating system that that's really out of date. In addition, the building was built when people were using typewriters and not computers ubiquitously, and the way we teach in the science labs and our vocational shops has changed quite dramatically in those 60 years.”
Supporters of the new building plan say it would take much more than a coat of paint to resuscitate the antiquated Monument Mountain – built in 1968 – that sits in the valley below its namesake peak.
“This building has outlived its expected time of service. School buildings from that era are not known for being particularly well built in general, I would say, with flat roofs and everything. They're not ideal for our region. It is in need of a lot in terms of the mechanical systems- The roof, the boiler, all of these things are failing or inefficient or in need of upgrades," said Rebecca Gold, co-chair of Citizens For The Next Monument, an advocacy group backing the project. “There are a lot of interior classrooms with no windows, the air quality throughout the school is pretty lousy, so there's a lot that needs to really be upgraded. And then, in addition to all of that, in terms of fire codes, ADA accessibility, just standard safety, things like the number of exterior doors in the school. It's really not in keeping with what we expect from- Well, what we have in our other schools in district.”
Over a decade since the last unsuccessful effort to present a modernization plan to the Massachusetts Building Authority, school leaders say the state entity will consider a new proposal for a new Monument Mountain in late August.
“It includes expanding our vocational offerings," Dillon told WAMC. "So right now, we've got three Chapter 74 programs- One in automotive, one in horticulture, and a fairly recent addition to this higher level in early childhood education. And we voted to add an electricity program with the new high school.”
If approved, the current Monument would remain open while the new, entirely electrically powered and sustainably designed school is constructed on the existent campus.
“The design’s really neat," said the superintendent. "You entered the building from the back facing Monument Mountain, and on that level, the building's really one and a half stories, and there's a public entrance, there's room for the automotive and electricity programs, and then, as you enter there, you can go up and there's another floor and there are classrooms there, as well as a media center that directly faces Monument Mountain with great views of it. And then going down, there's a cafeteria, the early childhood program, greenhouses, and other classrooms, and the cafeteria also faces Monument Mountain.”
The new high school building’s fate rests in the hands of voters in the three towns Berkshire Hills serves, with a tentative November 4th vote to approve the local share of the spending.
“Well, $89 million is a very large sum of money," said Steve Bannon, chair of the Berkshire Hills school committee and a member of the Monument Mountain building committee. He also chairs the Great Barrington selectboard.
“The project is about a $150 million project," Bannon continued. "Number one, the state is going to give us over $60 million. We've earned it, but they've been generous with that. And when you want to do a renovation to a building, because we have to do something to the high school building, renovation would cost almost the same as the $89 million- Matter of fact, maybe slightly more. So, the choices really come down to whether you want to do a full renovation with very little educational benefit, or you want a new building. And I guess there's a third choice, which is do nothing, which is not really a choice at this point.”
Superintendent Dillon says the vote is an opportunity for the district to once again show a shared commitment to the Southern Berkshire community.
“60 years ago, the towns came together and did this, and about 20 years ago, the towns again came together and did it with our elementary and middle school," he told WAMC. "And thankfully, the debt on those two buildings was recently retired or paid off. So, I understand it's tough times, I understand people are wrestling with a tough economy and uncertainty- And I this is an opportunity to make an investment that, not only in the thousands of students that will come through the school over the next 50 to 60 years, but also to make an investment in in our three towns.”
