The new plan for the proposed Claiborn D. Pell Elementary School shows a slightly re-routed dexter street and new parking and play areas. (Courtesy HMFH Architects)
NEWPORT, R.I. –Plans to construct a new elementary school at the site of the aging Sullivan School on Dexter Street continue to move forward. And for the first time in the lengthy planning process, Superintendent John H. Ambrogi says he is truly excited about the design.
The Sullivan School site as it exists today.
The proposed school, to be named after the late Sen. Claiborne D. Pell, is currently slated as a K-4 facility and would take the place of the city’s traditional neighborhood elementary schools. But as Dr. Ambrogi said at a School Committee meeting on Tuesday, the newest design would maintain the feel of a much smaller facility.
The newest iteration calls for one building, housing what will essentially be two schools: one K-1, and the other for grades 2-4. The 730-student facility would be divided into three wings connected by a central stem housing music, art, and multi-purpose rooms. The two largest wings, which would make up the main frontage of the school would be dedicated to classroom and general educational space. The third wing would be located at the back of the building, featuring a cafeteria and gymnasium space that would open up into play areas for both grade-specific and general use.
“As you can see, the objections to having a large school should be mitigated by the concept that there will be, for all intents and purposes, two schools – upper and lower,” Ambrogi said.
The design builds on a previous plan introduced back in October, calling for the re-routing of Dexter Street and a North-South orientation to maximize proposed solar energy cells. Overall, the plan was received warmly by members of the Ad-Hoc School Building Sub-Committee, however some concerns lingered; specifically the potential cost of moving the utilities to accommodate the new Dexter Street, and the sheer size of the building.
But as Ambrogi said, the new design would give parents and students the feeling of a much smaller school. Should the current plan be adopted, parents would be able to approach the school from two different directions. An angled facade with a curved entryway would create the illusion of softer, less imposing building; while buses would be segregated from the street in a designated lane to accommodate the expected increase in traffic, creating a much safer traffic pattern in the area.
And the new design does not require any additional utility work.
“This is a very exciting concept that will be able to meet the needs of the students,” Ambrogi said.
The building itself would incorporate green building, or LEED design, and would sit close to where the Sullivan building is currently located. Dexter Street, which separates the current building from a playground across the street, would be slightly bowed out to calm traffic and make room for the added bus lanes. Across the street, the park would be replaced with a landscaped parking lot with a total of 85 parking spaces.
The site plan was first presented by Laura Wernick, of HMFH Architects at a meeting of the ad-hoc subcommittee last Wednesday.
A previous plan which would allow Sullivan to remain in operation while a new facility is built, seemed to have been shelved in favor of the new plan. That design would have called for the construction of a new building essentially in the back yard of the Sullivan School, limiting the potential for future expansion.
However, in order for the project to qualify for state construction aid, a process to determine the appropriateness of the structure must be completed. That process by now should be familiar to local school watchers. First, the School Department must complete a Stage 2 application and present it councilors for approval. That application would detail both the design of the structure and how it will best serve the educational needs of students.
Following the council’s approval, the application would then move on to RIDE for an extensive review period before finally being submitted to the Board of Regents for funding approval some time in May. If the request is granted, the matter would be posed to voters on the ballot in November of 2010.
School Committee Chair Jo Eva Gaines, who has made it a priority to put a school question on the ballot for voters by the end of the coming year, has said that she hopes to have a completed Stage 2 application finalized early in the new year. The public will also be able to weigh in on the proposed design some time in January, according to Gaines.
Should residents vote to approve the plan, it would end a nearly decade-long debate over how to consolidate the city’s aging and according to the state, “obsolete” elementary schools. However, the degree of voter support for the project given the current economic conditions and other capital improvement projects facing the city remains uncertain at best.
The School Committee has discussed for several years plans to consolidate its elementary program under the mantra of “fewer, newer” schools. But so far it has failed to agree on a plan that the state is willing to finance.
“I must admit that this has been the first time I have truly been excited about the design of our new elementary school(s),” Ambrogi said.
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Newport, RI
