Residents review school designs
Published on May 6th, 1998
STONEHAM, MA - The School Building Committee and residents viewed the latest designs for the four elementary school buildings which will be tendered to the state on June 1, last week, and were given the opportunity to ask questions and provide input on the projects.
Representatives from Earl R. Flansburgh & Associates (architects) and Geller Associates (landscape architects) detailed the designs and spoke about what residents could expect in their neighborhoods in the coming years.
South School will be the first in a four-phase building project.
Robert Corning of Geller Associates told the gathering that the new school would have three stories with an adjoining parking garage. The first floor of the garage would be comprised of 58 parking spaces. The second floor would be an open-air deck which would be used as a play area, allowing for a basketball court and other hard-court activities. This deck would be fenced in for user safety and would have immediate access to the school.
The existing parking lot and hard-surface play area would be torn up and reseeded, providing students with an open space activities site.
"The site is fairly small for the structure, so we really wanted to configure it in a way that would allow for the most open area," James Highum of Flansburgh $& Associates said.
The present designs, he told the residents, would provide "a nice neighborhood feel" to the area
Access to the site for parents and staff would have only one route, via Irving Street, which met with some skepticism from residents. Sidewalks would also be placed on both sides of Irving Street for easier pedestrian access.
Corning told the residents that an access way for commercial vehicles only is designed on Main Street.
Some residents expressed the need for two accesses to the site, one off of Irving and one off of Main.
"I see this (the design) as a problem," one resident said. "And it won't be your problem; it will be the problem of the parents who have to drop their kids off at the school."
Corning explained that there had been discussion about placing a dropoff area on Main Street, and, while that was still a possibility, that it may be objected to by the state.
"It's a difficult problem on this site because it's very compact," he said. "Egress is a whole other issue with Main Street in terms of what the state wants."
The structure, itself, as is likely to be the case with the three other schools, will likely have a two-color brick facing.
The New Central School designs take the high-density area into account.
The school would be placed parallel to the railroad tracks near Pomeworth Park and the building will take on some of the aesthetic feel of the old railroad systems, Corning explained. Clocks will be placed on the three-story structures western (front) and northern sides of the building.
The designs call for a two-story gymnasium/cafeteria and a two story atrium with a cascading stairway.
The traffic design for the site is of the utmost importance since the plans call for the structure to be in close proximity to the Middle School.
Flansburgh & Associates proposes that 150 adjoining parking spaces will split between the two schools, 90 for the Middle and 60 for Central. Access to these spaces will be gained by travelling off of Pomeworth Street and into the dropoff/parking area. Parents who are dropping off their children at either school will travel alongside the Central School on the westerly side, allowing children to exit the vehicle, and continue, exiting on Central Street.
The opposite route would be taken for parents coming from the other direction and entering the property from Central Street.
Parking at the site, Corning explained, would be improved due to the hodgepodge way in which the lot is configured at the Middle School presently.
Little objection was raised about the Central School designs. Questions about impositions on neighboring property were asked and answered, it would appear, to the abutter's satisfaction.
Next week, the Stoneham Independent will feature the designs for the new Robin Hood and Colonial Park schools.
Subscribe and get Home Delivery of The Independent
Save 36% off the newstand price — that's like 18 FREE issues!