State School Building Authority to Vote on Newton's Angier Project Design

The Angier Elementary School rebuilding project will reach another big step this week as the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) is poised to take a vote on the initial design for the school. 

The seven-member MSBA Board of Directors is scheduled to meet and take the vote this Wednesday, April 3 at 10 a.m. at 40 Broad St. in Boston.

Officially, the MSBA Board of Directors will be voting on the "recommendation for preferred schematic design." According to MSBA Press Secretary Dan Collins, a successful vote would mean the MSBA accepts the feasibility study for the site and agrees with the proposed project scope. 

If these early project designs receive approval on Wednesday, the next step will be the MSBA working with the district to produce blueprints for the project, Collins said. 

The Angier project, which is slated to start in September 2014, involves a partnership between the Newton Public Schools and the MSBA. With that partnership, the district must follow MSBA-specific steps and guidelines for the project in order to receive some reimbursement (up to 30 percent) for the building costs.

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The district is looking to build a new, 75,000-square-foot school to replace the current, 90-year-old building. , is part of school officials' plans to add more classrooms in the space-strained district. 

The feasibility study and early design was presented in January and was met with many positive comments from both aldermen and School Committee members.

In the design, the cafeteria and gym are set back from the road and located on the first floor of the building while classrooms will be located on the upper floors. 

The school also features a courtyard or plaza area in the front with potential for garden space. 

In addition to the physical layout of the school, designers and project managers have also put together an educational program for Angier that outlines the classroom plan for the new building. 

During last week's School Committee meeting, Deputy Superintendent/Chief Administrative Officer Sandy Guryan noted that the MSBA gave "tremendously positive" feedback on both the educational program and the initial designs for Angier.

In addition to the MSBA process, Guryan said there has been a lot of recent work done with other city committees, including the Parks & Recreation Commission. According to Guryan, the Commission supports shared parking between the school and the abutting park as well as the replacement of the existing play structures.

Work is also proceeding with the Massachusetts Historical Society, Guryan said, as discussions will have to be held around the likely demolition of the historic school building.