New Gerena community school construction set for 2028

RESIDENTS GOT A CLOSER LOOK TUESDAY NIGHT AT PLANS FOR A NEW JARENA COMMUNITY SCHOOL. 22 NEWS REPORTER KALEY THOMAS JOINS US LIVE IN THE STUDIO TO TELL US WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE PROJECT. From tonight's second meeting, it looks like the proposed new school is seeing progress in its potential layout and community concerns are being addressed. I think the community concerns are traffic, how kids are going to be going to that school, busing, walking. The bigger issue is safety. Those concerns surrounding Springfield's plans to build a new German Jarena community school were addressed in a meeting Tuesday night. City leaders say it's a step in the right direction after the current school, built in 1974, had been dealing with ongoing structural issues, including flooding. We want innovative schools, environmentally sound schools, and schools that our children will feel safe in. Kids are a priority here, also our teachers too, so we're happy for it. The Donisco design team says they will be submitting a preferred solution of having the new school on nearly four acres of land, where the old Chestnut School site used to be in the north end by August, to the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which is funding most of the project. The most cost effective solution that has the least disruption, no disruption to the staff and students, and will give you an opportunity to address all of the security and emergency responses and needs for the community. The new school is expected to be four stories and will include improved bus and dedicated van drop-offs, 172 staff visitor parking spaces, 20,000 square foot of play area, outdoor gardens, and plenty of community spaces like a cafeteria, library, and a gym for the expansion of programs. There are also plans to tackle traffic. The solution that we have in place right now disperses the traffic out of the site so that not everyone is going back down through the Chestnut-Carew intersection. Over the next six months, the Donisco design team plans to refine floor plans, discuss building design, and have further conversations about traffic. Once the team receives mass school building authority approval and a total funded project agreement with state, design drawings will be made for contractors and then go out to bid for construction in 2028. And when construction does take place, the design team informed 22 News that students will stay in hurrying on. The goal is to have construction completed by fall 2030. Working for you, Kaylee Thomas, 22 News.