AMHERST — A Boston company will handle the designs for a new elementary school that would replace the 1970s-era Fort River and Wildwood elementary schools.
DiNisco Design was selected this week by the Massachusetts School Building Authority Designer Selection Board to work with town and school officials, as well as Anser Advisory, the owner’s project manager, on plans for a 575-student building that would house children from kindergarten through fifth grade.
While the state has approved the study for the Fort River site on South East Street, the Wildwood School site on Strong Street is also being considered for where the project is built. A decision on the site of the elementary school is likely by the end of February
“This is a very important step for the town as we move forward with providing a new school for the town’s elementary students, teachers, and staff,” District 1 Councilor Cathy Schoen, who chairs the building committee, said in a statement. “The new building will be an asset for the entire community.”
The project is expected to accomplish several goals for elementary education in town, including providing daylight-filled spaces for children and teachers, using the outdoors for education and play, and creating a building that incorporates net-zero energy principles.
Schoen was joined by Superintendent Michael Morris and School Committee member Ben Herrington in the vote approving DiNisco as the designer.
A schedule being contemplated includes having a Proposition 2 ½ debt exclusion vote brought to voters in November 2022, with the project to break ground Aug. 1, 2024 and a finished building opening in fall 2026.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
