Center/Pepin School students in Easthampton make their daily trek from the Center building, where this picture was taken from, to the Pepin building in March.
Center/Pepin School students in Easthampton make their daily trek from the Center building, where this picture was taken from, to the Pepin building in March.

EASTHAMPTON — Plans are coming together to construct a new school to take the place of four, the city’s three elementary schools and its middle school.

The newest design of the proposed pre-kindergarden through grade 8 project will be shared at a public forum next week, along with other developments.

The School Building Project forum will be held at 7 p.m. on June 29 in the second floor meeting area of the Municipal Building, 50 Payson Ave. Another forum is scheduled for July 18, at a time and location yet to be set.

“We want to present as many opportunities as possible for the community —  to get educated about this proposed project and get questions answered,” Superintendent Nancy Follansbee said.

At the forum, representatives from the architectural firm Caolo & Bieniek will be presenting a newer and more refined design of the proposed pre-k through grade 8 school.

The firm has looked into possible options for merging the four schools at the White Brook site — minor renovations, major renovations and completely building a new school. The School Building Committee recently decided to pursue the plan to construct a completely new school on the property. Follansbee said building a new school was the most cost-effective option.

Earlier this year, the project was estimated to cost from $100 million to $156 million. The Massachusetts School Building Authority may reimburse roughly half of the cost, leaving an estimated $50 million to $78 million for the city to pay.

Follansbee said the committee will discuss the project’s impact on taxpayers at the forum, though budget estimates are still “very preliminary,” and there won’t be a firm number on the project until December. She said the city auditor is determining the range of potential impact.

Maple Elementary, Center Elementary and Pepin Elementary are all at least a century old and lack space for growth as well as other inefficiencies. White Brook Middle School was built in the 1970s, but requires more maintenance than the older elementary schools. The middle school was designed with an open-classroom layout. Walls have been jury-rigged in place, but noise still travels from classroom to classroom.

Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.