Please join the AHS Building Committee for our next public meeting on Thursday, September 28th at 6:30 PM in the School Committee conference room (30 Whittier Ct, 2nd floor, above the Robb Senior Center).
The AHS Building Committee meeting will begin with a discussion of the Quad Board meeting held on September 27th where Town Manager Andrew Flanagan and Chief Financial Officer Patrick Lawlor provided an overview of the financial considerations related to the proposed Andover High School Project. Mr. Flanagan and Mr. Lawlor reviewed the various financial impacts of proceeding with the current timeline for the project versus delaying the project with the hope of being accepted into the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s (MSBA) core program for funding assistance in the future.
There were also discussions related to a preliminary “interim plan” that would keep the building minimally functional if the building project were to be delayed. That plan would attempt to address current overcrowding and some physical building issues, while staying below the improvement threshold that would require the building to be brought up to current safety and accessibility codes. The “interim plan” presented by the Town Manager involves reconfiguring the current site to allow for detached modular classroom units, limited renovations to the existing school, and associated sitework due to impacts the existing fields/parking lots; however, this plan would need to be further evaluated for feasibility, cost, and educational impact.
We encourage you to view the recording of the Quad Board meeting in AndoverTV’s online meeting archive to learn more about the costs and impacts associated with proceeding with the current project or delaying it. A subsequent Quad-board meeting will tentatively be held in October to review the educational impacts if the current project were to be delayed.
At Thursday’s Building Committee meeting, Andover High School’s Assistant Principal and newly appointed AHS Building Committee Member, Scott Darlington will present an analysis conducted of the current space utilization at Andover High School. Mr. Darlington will review the space utilization rate, room usage by period, existing classroom spaces, and make-shift spaces that have been created to address current overcrowding.
The Committee will then continue discussions related to the Heavy Timber Structure potential added scope item currently under consideration. HMFH Architects will review potential reductions to the scope of this item including costs for using heavy timber structural elements within only select individual areas of the building, for example just the gym, cafeteria, main lobby, or media center.
HMFH Architects will conclude the presentation with an update on the existing and proposed traffic conditions, vehicular circulation, and pedestrian/bike circulation.
The full agenda for the meeting can be found here on the Town website. The meeting will also be televised on AndoverTV, livestreamed from their website, and recorded for viewing out of their online meeting archive.