New School "ONLY" 22 million

School Option Selected
Preferred design could cost town $22M after MSBA reimbursement

Preliminary floor plans for the future elementary school

Mr. Poinelli said the selected option will cost a little more than $50 million. However, with the 60 percent reimbursement offered by the MSBA, the town and taxpayers will be responsible for only $22 million.
Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer

TEMPLETON With the project slated to go before the Massachusetts School Building Authority in July, the Elementary School Building Committee on Tuesday night selected its preferred design on a new school that will cost the town about $22 million to complete.

The committee reviewed several designs before settling on the three-story, compact building that will more than double the square footage of both Temp­leton Center and Baldwinville Elementary schools.

According to Phil Poinelli, principal with the design firm SMMA, the classrooms at both elementary schools, which range from 650 to 720 square feet, are “significantly undersized” and fall below state regulations for adequate learning space.

“These classrooms are going to be 900 square feet each, which meets the state’s guidelines,” Mr. Poinelli told the committee and members of the public in attendance.

Breaking down the costs, Mr. Poinelli said the selected option will cost a little more than $50 million. However, with the 60 percent reimbursement offered by the MSBA, the town and taxpayers will be responsible for only $22 million. Housing only pre-K through fourth grade in the new school would knock about $2 million off the price tag, but committee members previously agreed that keeping the fifth grade in the middle school was not ideal.

Reviewing the preliminary site designs, Mr. Poinelli said a considerable amount of effort went into figuring out how to orient a new building on the postage-stamp lot between South Road and Wellington Road while minimizing the impact on residents.

“What we tried to do is keep the smaller portions along South Road where there are residences,” Mr. Poinelli said, adding that the three-story portion of the building will sit on the west side of the lot, along Wellington Road. Templeton Center School will remain open during construction, with fences put up to keep students and parents out of areas being used by contractors. After the building is complete, the school will be demolished.

Preliminary floor plans for the future elementary school

Mr. Poinelli said the selected option will cost a little more than $50 million. However, with the 60 percent reimbursement offered by the MSBA, the town and taxpayers will be responsible for only $22 million.


Residents were concerned about traffic volume, which is expected to double around the already cramped area. Mr. Poin­elli said the anticipated increase has been taken into account and separate areas for parent and bus drop-offs will be created to help keep vehicles moving during periods of heavy congestion.

Cemetery and Parks Superintendent Alan Mayo also expressed concern about the recently completed Gladys I. Salame Memorial Playground, which will be relocated closer to the new building. As it is a town playground, Mr. Mayo said he was “more than happy” to work with contractors and the building committee to ensure the playground is safely relocated. School officials said the playground will remain open to the public during school hours.

With the school building committee voting unanimously on its preferred option, the design and cost estimates will be presented to selectmen Wednesday night for their approval. After their vote, the design will be submitted to the MSBA by June 11 in preparation for its board meeting at the end of July.

If the building authority gives the project the green light, engineers will prepare a final schematic design to be presented in November to secure final approval and voters will see the project on the ballot that month.