June
17, 2015
Dear
Amherst Parents/Guardians,
Staff Members, and Community
Members,
We
would like to share
information about the Wildwood
School Building Project in
advance of Community Forums
that will be occurring on this
topic when we return in the
fall.
In
November, 2013, the MSBA (Massachusetts
School Building Authority)
approved Wildwood Elementary
School to enter into an
“improvement building project”
process. The MSBA is a state
agency that supports the
design, construction and
financing of public school
improvement projects. The
Wildwood School Building
Committee has been appointed
to oversee the
process of this project.
Parents/guardians and teachers
from all three Amherst
elementary schools, community
members, and town and school
officials sit on the
committee. For the Wildwood
School Building Project, the
MSBA determined that it will
reimburse the Town for
approximately 68% of eligible
costs. For more information
regarding the MSBA and entire
school building process,
please see this
video from
Amherst Media’s Voices
From Our Schools, which
shares many details about this
project.
The
committee has been hard at
work since its formation
exploring options for the
project as well as selecting
an Owner’s
Project Manager
(OPM) firm, who are
experts in supporting towns
and districts in the building
process and in working with
the MSBA. An architect for
the project will be selected
next month by the MSBA
Designer Selection Panel,
which includes three local
members. The Building
Committee has emphasized
needing a designer who places
a priority on community input
and has a proven track record
of facilitating sessions to
engage the broader public into
the process.
The
Wildwood School Building
Committee wishes to express
its excitement for the
opportunity the MSBA has
provided, and would like to
thank families, staff members,
and community members who have
offered their comments and
opinions regarding this
project thus far at initial
PGO meetings, staff meetings,
and School Council meetings.
In the fall of 2015, Community
Forums will be held to gather
input on the best option for
this project. This will be a
thorough process with many
opportunities for public
input. The fall forums will
have detailed information
about the implications of each
option, as the designer and
the OPM will spend the next
few months analyzing the
educational benefits, short-
and long-term financial
implications, and required
infrastructure for all
options. The Building
Committee will be making a
recommendation of a preferred
option for MSBA approval on
January 27, 2016.
There
are three
current options
under consideration for the
Wildwood School Building
Project. The first is an
Addition/Renovation, where new
sections would be added to the
current building while many
parts of the existing
structure will be updated.
This option is similar to the
Crocker Farm project that was
completed about thirteen years
ago. The second option is to
build a new K-6 Wildwood
facility that will completely
replace the current building.
The third option is a grade
reconfiguration, which entails
building a new school for all
Amherst elementary school
students in grades 2-6, and
educating all grades PreK-1
students at Crocker Farm
School. If this option is
determined to be the best one
for our community, the current
Wildwood and Fort River
buildings would be closed,
thus maintaining two
elementary schools for the
students of Amherst.
Regardless of which option is
chosen, the earliest date that
a project could be completed
would be in the fall of 2019.
For
more information regarding the
Wildwood School Building
Project, Wildwood School
Building Committee, and the
MSBA, please
visit this link
which can be found on the main
page of arps
website.
Sincerely,
Michael
Morris, Assistant
Superintendent & Chair of
the Wildwood School Building
Committee
Wildwood
School Building Committee
Members:
Katherine
Appy, Amherst School Committee
Chair
Anna
Bartolini, Teacher at Crocker
Farm Elementary
Ron Bohonowicz, Director of
Facilities for the Amherst
Public Schools & the Town
of Amherst
Holly Bowser, Assistant
Comptroller for the Town of
Amherst
Sasha Figueroa, Administrative
Assistant to the Assistant
Superintendent
Maria Geryk, Superintendent of
Schools
Miki Gromacki, Wildwood Parent
and Assistant Principal of the
Amherst Regional High School
Monica Hall, Director of
Diversity and Equity for the
Amherst Public Schools
Sean Mangano, Director of
Finance for the Amherst Public
Schools
Guilford Mooring, Director of
Public Works
John Musante, Amherst Town
Manager
Ludmilla Pavlova, Wildwood
Parent & Senior Facilities
Planner & Adjunct
Professor at UMass
Sandy Pooler, Director of
Finance for the Town of
Amherst
Irv Rhodes, Community Member
& Former Amherst School
Committee Member
Narayan Sampath, Crocker Farm
Parent
Timothy
Sheehan, Teacher at Fort River
Elementary School
Nancy Stewart, Fort River
Parent
Sherril
Willis, Teacher at Wildwood
Elementary School
Nick Yaffe, Principal of
Wildwood Elementary School
David Ziomek, Assistant Town
Manager for Amherst
