Rochester's new elementary school designs unveiled: Here's a sneak peek
ROCHESTER — The community is getting a first look at designs for the new elementary school to be built at 753 Salmon Falls Road.
Rochester's joint building committee for SAU 54, the city's school district, has released renderings and some additional information.
Superintendent Kyle Repucci said the drawings and information released are pretty accurate, deferring final design decisions to the committee, which is comprised of school and city officials.
The new school is part of a planned consolidation of Rochester elementary schools. It will replace two current city elementary schools, the School Street School and the already-closed Nancy Loud School, as well as allow for the removal of five modular classrooms at the Chamberlain and William Allen schools.
State school building aid covers 60% of a project's cost. The state Board of Education's calculation for Rochester's planned school is just under $26.3 million. This means the state would provide Rochester with nearly $15.8 million, which is about $4.4 million less than Rochester school officials were seeking.
The Rochester School District proposal was for a $33.6 million school with $20.17 million estimated in state building aid. The balance will come from the city.
What we know about the new Rochester school
Initial plans for the new school are for a 68,000-square-foot building for students in grades K-5, with a parking lot for 75 cars. There will be a bus loop to handle 8 to 10 buses, and a loop road for parent drop off and pick up, with an estimate of 275 cars in the morning and after school. Multipurpose playing fields and playgrounds are included in the plans.
The school will house about 420 students, ease overcrowding at other schools, and improve educational equity for students, officials said.
According to the proposed design, the first floor will include the library, cafeteria, gymnasium, rooms dedicated to music and art, and special education class space. Classrooms will include natural lighting and materials, flexible space, and state-of-the-art technology.
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The second floor includes a dozen classrooms and additional special education spaces.
Mayor Paul Callaghan noted the project will not cross wetlands and will retain buffer zones, answering previous concerns raised by abutters.
Concerns about drainage will be addressed through water retention and mitigation systems at the entrance and near the rear of the property.
In the next step, project plans will be forwarded to the City’s Technical Review Committee for an independent review. The project design team expects to complete bidding and construction documents by the end of February, with the goal of soliciting public bids in March.
The Joint Building Committee will meet next in April, to review cost estimates.
The JBC plans to solicit suggestions for a school name and building mascot, possibly through naming contests.
The Joint Building Committee states it is "charged with overseeing the development and construction" of the K-5 school. School Board Member Sarah Harrington serves as chair, while City Councilor Donald Hamann is the vice chair. Also on the committee are Mayor Paul Callaghan, City Councilors Alexander de Geofroy, Tim Fontneau and Kevin Sullivan, and School Board member Matthew Pappas. The School Board chair will appoint two School Board representatives.
The committee meets in public on the second Wednesday of each month. Its next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 14. The public is invited to attend and participate.
Meetings are recorded and are available on both the School Department website and SAU 54 YouTube channel.
This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Rochester NH elementary school designs unveiled for Salmon Falls Road
