State-of-art Gerena School project moves ahead in Springfield

Good evening and thanks for joining us for 22 News at 6, I'm Ciara Speller. And I'm Nick Oresko. The new Harena School construction project is officially moving forward and a location has been chosen. 22 News reporter Areta Odaya joins us live in studio with where the school will be going. The long-awaited replacement of the Harena School in Springfield's North End will be put in a familiar place to some at the site of an old high school. Plans for Springfield's new Harena School are in motion. The current school was built back in 1974, has nearly 600 enrolled students, but has a history of issues. There is this tunnel that runs underneath the building that is a public walkway for the community. And so you've got a school that we work very hard to protect that has also a public walkway. And with these tunnels comes flooding from I-91 and structural issues impacting the school itself. I really have to commend the students and the staff, the families and the community over at Harena because they have been thriving despite the challenges. Chestnut Junior High used to sit right here at 495 Chestnut Street until it was demolished in 2014. So the new Harena School will be built here instead, still home to the North End neighborhood. And that's what our children, students, their families, teachers and staff deserve. It's no cheap investment though. We're talking a 130 million dollar project. Majority of the money will be coming from the Massachusetts School Building Authority and the rest from the city's budget. And it'll take time. Mayor Sarno predicts that 2030 is when the new school would officially open up. A community meeting will be held at 6 tonight at the current school to get community input. Catch it all on 22 News at 10 and 11. Working for you, Arata Odaya, 22 News.